Quest Vocational Training Limited

Quest Vocational Training Ltd Progress monitoring report

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Name of lead inspector: Helen Flint, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Unit 3a Pear Tree Business Centre Cobham Road Ferndown BH21 7PT Monitoring visit: Quest Vocational Training Ltd, 24–25 February 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Quest Vocational Training Ltd (QVT) received a new provider monitoring visit in April 2018. At that time, inspectors made progress judgements under three themes.

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit focused on the extent to which leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to provide education and training in the current circumstances. It was undertaken as outlined in the operational note on visits carried out from January 2021 and with reference to the further education and skills handbook.

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Context and focus of visit

These visits are to help learners, parents, employers and government understand how providers are meeting the needs of learners in this period, including those with high needs and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Context and focus of visit

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, inspectors carried out this monitoring activity remotely. As a result, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would be the case during an on-site inspection. Therefore, this report provides a more limited level of assurance.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgement below. Inspectors did not evaluate leaders’ response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer of 2020, when the provider was not open to all learners and there were no national expectations regarding remote education.

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Reasonable

Senior leaders at QVT continue to provide apprenticeships in the care and education sectors. The number of apprentices has increased fourfold since the previous visit to around 800, although has reduced from the previous year due to the pandemic. Apprentices undertaking higher-level apprenticeships have increased significantly in number and are now around a fifth of the total. Managers have introduced new standards-based apprenticeships successfully since the previous visit.

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Reasonable

Leaders have made improvements in most of the areas raised at the previous visit. They now place a high importance on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty so that Monitoring visit: Quest Vocational Training Ltd, 24–25 February 2021 everyone from apprentices to board members understands the importance of these topics. Trainers explore topics such as female genital mutilation and domestic abuse with apprentices regularly. A senior manager-level safeguarding team is in place. They are appropriately qualified and work hard to ensure that apprentices and staff have the information they need. These managers liaise closely with ‘Prevent’ duty coordinators in geographic regions where QVT have apprentices. As a result, managers understand local situations with regard to any extremism or radicalisation and include this in their risk assessments.

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Reasonable

Apprenticeship trainers now know what prior knowledge and experience their apprentices have and use this to provide well-planned and sequenced learning activities. Due to the pandemic, these are all currently provided online. A new team provides apprentices with English and mathematics learning, irrespective of their previous qualifications, so that all apprentices continue to develop their skills. Staff provide appropriate help to apprentices who have additional support needs, or for whom English is an additional language. Not all healthcare apprentices develop their written English skills within their vocational learning as they do not practice this enough.

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Reasonable

Trainers make extensive use of the new virtual learning site to provide apprentices with a range of online activities that include discussion, voiced-over videos, workbooks and questions. These activities link well to apprentices’ roles in the workplace. As a result, apprentices develop the knowledge and skills they need. For example, level 2 healthcare apprentices support vulnerable adults during mealtimes, adapting their communication appropriately for each person. Level 5 apprentices studying leadership and management learn about the legislative requirements which underpin their residential childcare settings’ policies and the theories behind team- building techniques.

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Reasonable

Apprentices and employers are very positive about the support they and their apprentices receive from QVT staff. Trainers check on the well-being of apprentices regularly and they report that their trainers are available if they need help and support.

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Reasonable

QVT has provided employers with clear information about what they need to do to support apprentices and provide them with regular updates on apprentices’ progress. Employers are highly positive about the training their apprentices receive.

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Reasonable

Due to the pandemic, senior leaders have not made as much progress with some of their plans as they intended. They have not provided trainers with training programmes to improve their teaching, although plan to do so imminently. They have ensured that trainers receive feedback on their teaching regularly so that trainers can reflect on what improvements they can make.

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Reasonable

Many apprentices work within the health sector so are in the front line against COVID-19. QVT staff work with these apprentices and their managers closely to keep them learning in very difficult circumstances. Because of these circumstances, trainers do not see their apprentices as often as they would like, even remotely. Monitoring visit: Quest Vocational Training Ltd, 24–25 February 2021 Consequently, managers do not have a full picture of the quality and amount of off- the-job-training, including in the workplace, which apprentices undertake. There are a large proportion of healthcare apprentices that are taking a break from their apprenticeships because of the pandemic. Managers monitor the situation of these apprentices well and continue to work with them and their employers to help them return to learning when possible.

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Reasonable

Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Reasonable

 implement plans to provide trainers with training to improve their teaching skills  check the quality and quantity of apprentices’ off-the-job training, including that provided by the employer, and use this to improve further the teaching and support of apprentices  consistently reinforce apprentices’ written English skills in vocational subjects so that they regularly practice these skills. Monitoring visit: Quest Vocational Training Ltd, 24–25 February 2021 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

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children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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