Involve Selection Limited

Involve Selection Limited Monitoring visit report

p.1

Name of lead inspector: Emma Barrett-Peel, Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.1

Type of provider: Independent learning provider

p.1

Address: 1-2 Middle Street Shoreham-By-Sea West Sussex BN43 5DP Monitoring visit: Involve Selection Limited, 17 to 18 March 2021

p.1

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.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

Involve Selection Limited is an independent learning provider based in West Sussex. It offers digital and business and administration standards-based apprenticeships from level 2 to level 4. At the time of the inspection, there were 37 apprentices. Twenty five of the apprentices were on digital marketing level 3 programmes and five were on infrastructure technician level 3 programmes. There were four apprentices on a software-related apprenticeship at level 3 or 4 and the remaining three apprentices were on a business-related apprenticeship in recruitment at level 2 or level 3 administration.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

As a result of COVID-19 (coronavirus) all training for apprentices is currently carried out through online and remote learning.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgements below.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear strategy for the apprenticeships they offer. They have carefully selected apprenticeship standards where they have extensive and current industry experience. Leaders use their considerable experience well to design a curriculum that makes sure apprentices develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours that they can apply successfully at work.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders work closely with local communities and understand in detail the business needs of local and regional employers. They make sure that the apprenticeships they offer help to fill the skills gaps employers have. For example, one digital marketing apprentice will take responsibility for the company website once she has completed her apprenticeship. Monitoring visit: Involve Selection Limited, 17 to 18 March 2021 Leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Leaders are taking steps to strengthen governance to provide greater challenge, but it is too early to comment on the effectiveness of these actions.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders make sure they recruit apprentices with integrity. They use their background in recruitment well to match employers and apprentices effectively. Leaders track apprentices’ progress carefully. They intervene swiftly if apprentices fall behind. They use helpful action plans and provide extra support to make sure apprentices quickly get back on track.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Leaders work closely with assessment organisations to plan learning in a logical order, to ensure apprentices can meet the requirements of the end-point assessment. However, a few apprentices and employers do not understand the structure of the end-point assessment, which means that they are unclear how they can prepare early for these tests.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from their tutors’ considerable technical knowledge, expertise and experience. Leaders agree that they do not know enough about tutors’ teaching skills and are developing processes to check in more detail that all apprentices benefit from high-quality teaching.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge and skills during their apprenticeships, which helps them become more experienced and effective at work. For example, digital marketing apprentices learn to optimise search engines and use analytics programmes to track, review and report on website traffic. Those on recruitment resourcer apprenticeships learn how to write effective advertisements for job vacancies and how to use social media effectively. All five apprentices who have completed their apprenticeship so far gained a distinction grade.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Staff assess apprentices’ prior skills and knowledge in detail at the start of their apprenticeship to make sure that they start on the appropriate programmes. They use this information to plan apprentices’ learning carefully. Apprentices benefit from a well-planned induction, which enables them to understand what they need to do during their apprenticeship and what they will learn.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Employers value the benefits apprentices bring to their companies. For example, an apprentice who is learning HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code will rebuild the company website after completing her digital marketing apprenticeship.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Employers and apprentices understand the on- and off-the-job training requirements of an apprenticeship. Apprentices receive appropriate and flexible amounts of time to Monitoring visit: Involve Selection Limited, 17 to 18 March 2021 study and complete their learning. A few employers do not understand the connections between on- and off-the-job training. Consequently, they make little contribution towards structuring learning for their apprentices.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Apprentices receive useful feedback from tutors that enables them to improve the presentation of their work. For example, tutors explain in detail how to break long sentences down and how to use commas to make sure apprentices continue to develop their English skills. A few apprentices, particularly those that produce high- quality written work, do not receive feedback to help them understand how to improve the content of their work further.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Leaders have appropriate policies, procedures and risk assessments in place to make sure apprentices are safe. The designated safeguarding lead is well trained in a wide range of safeguarding topics and has close links to relevant external agencies. He makes sure all staff complete sensible and frequent safeguarding training.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Apprentices know how and to whom they would report concerns. They learn about safeguarding at the start of their apprenticeship and refresh their knowledge through useful online learning. They benefit from carefully designed resources that are specific to the digital skills industry.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Apprentices complete useful projects at work that inform them of local threats. As a result, most apprentices understand how to keep themselves safe from threats where they live and work. Monitoring visit: Involve Selection Limited, 17 to 18 March 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 children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.4

Reasonable progress

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.5

Reasonable progress

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

Reasonable progress

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.5

Reasonable progress

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

p.5