Professional Quality Management Services Limited

Professional Quality Management Services Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Bev Ramsell, Her Majesty's Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Unit 1-2 Astley Lane Bedworth Warwickshire CV12 0NE Monitoring visit: Professional Quality Management Services Limited, 27-28 July 2021

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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

Professional Quality Management Services Limited (PQMS) was established in 1999 to provide commercial training to the construction, highways, telecoms, and utilities industries. In September 2018, leaders accessed public funding to teach apprenticeships. At the time of the visit, they had 56 apprentices in learning. The vast majority of apprentices study the level 2 telecoms field operative standard, with a few apprentices studying standards for level 2 highways maintenance skilled operative, level 2 dual-fuel smart meter installer, and level 3 unified communications technician.

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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

Leaders recognised the need for apprentices within the telecommunications industry. They identified a national drive for developments within this sector. The current work force is aging, creating a need for younger, highly skilled engineers. Leaders used their knowledge and experience of teaching commercial courses to create a flexible curriculum that meets the needs of employers. As part of the curriculum, apprentices benefit from achieving industrially recognised qualifications that make them more useful in their job roles.

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Reasonable progress

Employers value their apprentices. They recognise the importance of apprentices within their companies and see them as the next generation of engineers. They know and understand their commitments to the apprenticeship. They meet with apprentices and the provider regularly to discuss the progress apprentices are making. They create solutions when there are barriers to learning. For example, apprentices stated they struggled to access online learning. Monitoring visit: Professional Quality Management Services Limited, 27-28 July 2021 This resulted in the employer setting up quiet office space for apprentices to use. Employers have a good understanding of the requirements of the end-point assessment. Consequently, apprentices receive the time they need to study and are making good progress at work.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have introduced a more robust quality assurance process. They use red, amber, and green ratings to select an apprentice to review. When reviewing the apprentice, they spend time evaluating all aspects of their apprenticeship. They feed this information into an overall monthly progress meeting. They review the progress of all apprentices in detail. Where they recognise a need, they put the appropriate support in place to help apprentices to catch up. However, it is too early to see the full impact of this new process.

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Reasonable progress

Governors are very experienced within the education sector. They are clear on their aim to support managers to improve the quality of their provision. They do this by setting high expectations for detailed reports, by holding senior leaders to account for their actions, and by challenging the information they receive.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to be successful within their job roles. Managers plan and order the curriculum well. They sequence the course in line with apprentices’ work priorities. Apprentices undertake a training programme that consists of a two-week training block, followed by 12 weeks in the workplace, practising their newly learned skills. During their time at the training centre, learning becomes progressively more challenging, and trainers ensure that one skill builds on a previous skill in a logical pattern. For example, trainers start by teaching health and safety and risk assessments. They then move on to managing street works – signing, lighting, and guarding – to cabling below ground, then cabling at height. This builds apprentices’ knowledge, skills and confidence incrementally, enabling them to become self-assured in their job roles.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers are highly experienced and have the necessary skills to provide training of a high standard. Teaching is clear and authoritative. Trainers broaden the planned curriculum to include subjects, such as safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Where apprentices have stronger starting points – level 2 functional skills or sector experience – they have access to additional supervisory learning activities. However, written feedback from tutors focuses too much on gathering evidence and does not clearly tell the apprentice what they need to do to improve or how to gain the highest grades. As a result, not all apprentices know what they need to do to reach their potential. Monitoring visit: Professional Quality Management Services Limited, 27-28 July 2021 Trainers do not consistently develop apprentices’ English and mathematical skills and knowledge. Some apprentices have been slow to start their functional skills learning

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Reasonable progress

online. Apprentices who already have a level 2 qualification in mathematics and English do not explicitly develop these skills further. As a result, some are making slow progress, and others do not know that they need to improve their English and mathematical skills to support them in their next steps.

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progress

Leaders help staff to gain a better understanding of safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Staff take part in activities such as, ‘away-days’. On these days, the chair of governors, along with senior leaders, upskill staff’s knowledge in these areas. They evaluate staff’s understanding by interviewing apprentices on their safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ knowledge. As a result, they have created a culture of safeguarding across the organisation, where apprentices clearly understand safeguarding concerns.

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progress

Leaders have a strong focus on health and safety. They undertake a thorough health and safety risk assessment of the apprentices’ workplace. They conduct health and safety audits and respond swiftly to any concerns raised by apprentices. Teachers place health and safety as a priority within classroom and practical sessions. Apprentices know how to complete their own daily risk assessments at work and recognise the importance of these. As a result, apprentices know what to do to stay safe at work.

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progress

Leaders do not formally assess visiting teachers. They have made sure that appropriate recruitment processes are in place. However, they have not implemented a suitable risk assessment for visiting teachers. Consequently, they cannot be certain that all visitors are vetted prior to teaching apprentices. Monitoring visit: Professional Quality Management Services Limited, 27-28 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

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

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