Ioda Limited

Name of lead inspector: Steve Hunsley Her Majesty's Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Ioda House 4 Grimston Grange Offices Grimston Park Tadcaster LS24 9BX Monitoring visit: Ioda Limited, 11–12 March 2020

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Context and focus of visit

From October 2018, Ofsted undertook to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision which began to be funded from April 2017 or after by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and/or the apprenticeship levy. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the Further education and skills inspection handbook, especially the sections entitled ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Ioda Limited provides apprenticeships in leadership and management for a wide range of employers, including those in the public service and charitable sectors and large retail organisations. It began to deliver its own apprenticeships in April 2018. The range of programmes includes standards-based apprenticeships for team leaders, supervisors, and departmental and operational managers. At the time of the visit, Ioda Limited had 75 apprentices on programmes at level 3 and 183 at level 5. All apprentices are over 18 years of age.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work effectively with employers to ensure that they meet the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship. Their apprenticeship programme helps employers to improve their leadership and management functions and to establish a knowledgeable, skilled and qualified workforce.

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Reasonable progress

Managers, trainers and coaches ensure that employers and apprentices have a good understanding of the on- and off-the-job training requirements of an apprenticeship. The training that apprentices carry out enables them to become effective leaders and managers in their organisations.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work efficiently with employers to ensure that apprentices have suitable job roles and gain substantial new knowledge and skills. Managers and employers recruit apprentices with integrity through a carefully managed recruitment process. This includes a company and apprenticeship briefing, a supportive statement from employers, and a thorough review of apprentices’ prior experience, knowledge and qualifications. Monitoring visit: Ioda Limited, 11–12 March 2020 Managers have a good oversight of the progress that apprentices make. Managers, trainers and coaches intervene swiftly to provide help for apprentices who do not make expected progress. Consequently, a high proportion of apprentices are on target to complete by their planned end date.

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Reasonable progress

Managers ensure that the trainers and coaches who support apprentices are well qualified and have the required subject knowledge, qualifications and experience to help apprentices make rapid progress. Employers value the expertise and support that trainers and coaches give to their apprentices, including the leadership and management expertise that they model and demonstrate.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a good understanding of the quality of their provision. They know the areas of the provision that they need to improve. They have implemented a number of effective improvement actions since they started to deliver apprenticeships. For example, their use of a revised selection process has led to a decline in the proportion of apprentices who withdraw or take a break in learning from their programme.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and coaches ensure that employers provide meaningful opportunities for apprentices to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they require in their leadership and management job roles. Apprentices very quickly become useful leaders of their teams at work.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and assessors determine apprentices’ starting points and prior knowledge and skills well. They make good use of this information and arrange individualised programmes and activities that enable apprentices to become competent in their job roles. For example, apprentices significantly improve their confidence in managing people and their ability to deal with difficult conflict resolution scenarios.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers and coaches use assessment effectively to inform future learning and support apprentices well in preparation for their end-point assessment. Apprentices receive prompt feedback from coaches that helps them to improve their work. However, coaches do not routinely help apprentices improve their written English skills. Consequently, many apprentices continue to make the same mistakes in their assignments.

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Reasonable progress

A high proportion of apprentices make the progress expected and achieve with merits and distinctions in their end-point assessment. Coaches help apprentices to improve their subject knowledge through one-to-one discussions, assessment and learning sessions. They focus effectively on the leadership and management knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need in their current and future Monitoring visit: Ioda Limited, 11–12 March 2020 job roles. For example, apprentices in the fire service improve their people management skills, which complement well their incident management expertise.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put in place effective safeguarding arrangements, and they train staff well to use the arrangements appropriately to keep apprentices safe. The designated safeguarding officer and all staff attend and benefit from frequent safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty training. They update and review their qualifications often. The designated safeguarding officer informs staff of any updated information that they need to know.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe in their workplace. Apprentices, particularly those working for the emergency services and local authorities, have a good understanding of the possible risks associated with extremist groups. They are aware of their responsibility to keep themselves and other people safe.

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Reasonable progress

Employers and their apprentices have access to relevant information about how to report any concerns that they may have and to whom they should report them. Coaches and trainers continually reinforce the importance of safeguarding and the need to keep people safe. Monitoring visit: Ioda Limited, 11–12 March 2020 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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