Veolia Environment Development Centre Limited

Veolia Environmental Development Centre Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Ian Higgins, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Address: Kingswood House Kingswood Crescent Cannock Staffordshire WS11 8JP Monitoring visit: Veolia Environmental Development Centre, 7–8 July 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Veolia Environment Development Centre was inspected in December 2019. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the visit, 168 apprentices were on programme. Exactly 50 apprentices were enrolled on the level 3 team leader standard. A further 47 apprentices were enrolled on the level 2 waste resource operative standard. There were a further 41 apprentices enrolled on the level 5 departmental manager standard, with 17 on the level 3 business administrator standard. The remaining 13 apprentices were on the level 2 long goods vehicle standard.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in addressing the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

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

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Reasonable progress

Since the last inspection senior leaders and specialists have revisited the content they teach, when they teach it, and how they teach it, so that apprentices build on what they know to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Reasonable progress

Specialists on the level 5 departmental manager standard introduce project work much earlier on in apprentices’ programmes. As a result, apprentices get to apply their new learning more quickly. Apprentices are developing new knowledge, skills and behaviours more swiftly as a result.

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Reasonable progress

Specialists on the level 2 waste resource operative standard have revisited the content they teach. Apprentices develop significant new knowledge about all sectors within the waste management industry. Plans are in place for apprentices to complete site visits to support this learning. However, the impact of this change is not yet clear. The pandemic has prevented apprentices from being able to undertake Monitoring visit: Veolia Environmental Development Centre, 7–8 July 2021 such visits. Current apprentices spend almost all of their time in the setting they are most familiar with. In some cases, apprentices have been in this setting for a significant period and already know this area of waste management very well.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders and specialists have introduced a new skills scan. This is completed before each taught session to find out what apprentices already know. Specialists then use this information well to make sure they focus their teaching on what apprentices need to know most urgently. Following each teaching session, apprentices revisit the skills scan to reflect on any new learning. Where apprentices still have gaps in their knowledge, specialists offer more frequent one-to-one support sessions to apprentices to help them. Many apprentices benefit from this additional support.

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Reasonable progress

Specialists teach more frequent but shorter sessions to apprentices. Apprentices assert how this approach is more flexible to fit around their job commitments. However, in a few cases, apprentices do not routinely get sufficient time away from their day-to-day job to focus on their learning. Where this is the case, apprentices do not develop new knowledge, skills, and behaviours as quickly as they could.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders have increased the focus and expectations for apprentices in developing their English and mathematics skills. In the vast majority of cases, specialists make sure that apprentices start to develop their English and mathematics skills from the beginning of their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices complete assessments to find out what they can do, and what they need to know, in relation to their English and mathematics. Specialists use this information to plan and prioritise what apprentices need to learn first. As a result, apprentices start to address the gaps in their knowledge more swiftly.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders provide training for specialists, so they are able to teach English and mathematics better. For example, specialists complete training on how best to use the online learning system for functional skills.

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Reasonable progress

Specialists place a greater emphasis on the development of English and mathematics in their teaching sessions. For example, apprentices on the level 2 long goods vehicle standard have English and mathematics problems posed to them through an ‘avatar figure’. As a result, apprentices have more regular opportunities to practise their problem-solving skills.

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Reasonable progress

Specialists provide more frequent one-to-one support sessions for apprentices. For example, apprentices receive extra teaching in using fractions, decimals and percentages. Apprentices rightly share how useful they find these sessions. As a Monitoring visit: Veolia Environmental Development Centre, 7–8 July 2021 result, apprentices develop new knowledge and skills. However, apprentices on the level 2 waste resource operative standard are not clear how they can access additional support.

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Reasonable progress

Specialists review more frequently the progress which apprentices are making with their functional skills. Senior leaders have introduced a new, more frequent review process. The majority of specialists set clear targets during these review sessions for what apprentices need to learn. However, in a few cases the targets set are not precise and clear enough. Where this is the case, apprentices go too long in between learning sessions and do not develop new knowledge and skills as quickly as their peers.

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Significant progress

Since the last inspection, senior leaders have taken significant steps to improve and strengthen governance.

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Significant progress

Senior leaders have recruited a number of additional external board members. The new board members have a wide range of skills, experience, and expertise – including experience of apprenticeship delivery, teaching, and the use of management information systems. The addition of such board members adds to the additional expertise Veolia already have on their board in relation to safeguarding and health and safety practices.

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Significant progress

The new board have set out a clear set of terms of reference. They have a clear aim and ambition to challenge senior leaders to improve the quality of apprenticeships that they offer.

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Significant progress

Senior leaders and the newly formed board have started to meet on a formal basis. The board have access to a wider range of information, including the plan that is in place for how the quality of apprenticeships will be improved. Senior leaders have clear plans for how they intend to hold senior leaders to account, including through speaking directly to apprentices and looking at their work to find out what apprentices know and can now do.

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Significant progress

The newly recruited board members are clear on the actions that senior leaders need to take to improve the quality of apprenticeships. For example, the board are well aware that the support that apprentices receive to improve their English and mathematics skills needs to improve further.

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Significant progress

Senior leaders and the board have a clear meeting schedule. This includes formal quarterly meetings. From the first meeting that has taken place, there is a set of well-defined actions and timescales for when these actions will be completed. Monitoring visit: Veolia Environmental Development Centre, 7–8 July 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.

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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