NTG Training Ltd

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Apprenticeships Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

NTG Training Ltd (NTG) was registered as a training company in 2008. NTG offers apprenticeship training in six vocational areas. These areas are in health and social care, business administration, customer service, team leading, digital marketing and warehousing. NTG started training apprentices funded through the apprenticeship levy in December 2017. In February 2018, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) awarded NTG an apprenticeship contract. Previously, NTG trained apprentices for other training organisations as a subcontractor.

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Information about this provider

The provider currently has 196 apprentices. The vast majority of these are on standards-based apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are offered at levels 2 to 5. Most apprentices are adults, with a few aged from 16 to 18 years. Just over half study health and social care apprenticeships, around a third study business administration, team leading and digital marketing apprenticeships, the remainder are on warehousing apprenticeships.

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Information about this provider

The ESFA awarded NTG an adult education contract in November 2017. NTG provides training in introduction to working in health and social care and principles of warehousing. Since August 2020, 96 learners have completed one of these courses. At the time of the inspection, no adult learners were in training.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, all learning was delivered remotely or online. 20–23 July 2021

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices demonstrate and understand the behaviours and attitudes they need to be successful at work. For example, team leading apprentices understand their employers’ expectations and their responsibilities at work, such as time management.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices’ resilience has improved throughout their programme, particularly during COVID-19 (coronavirus). In particular, health and social care apprentices demonstrated commitment when working under lockdown restrictions, when care homes were experiencing staff’s and service users’ sickness.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Business administration apprentices who work from home show the ability to work independently and are self-motivated. Most apprentices have a positive attitude to learning and benefit from and value the support they get from their tutors and employers.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices develop their confidence throughout their apprenticeship. Business administration apprentices develop the skills they need to take part in professional discussions and deliver presentations. Apprentices in health and social care develop an understanding of the importance of treating people who are at the end of their life with care, compassion and dignity.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

While most apprentices develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours on their course, apprentices on higher-level courses in health and social care do not develop as quickly. Tutors do not take into account that apprentices already have prior knowledge and skills of working as managers in care settings when they plan their learning. As a result, the curriculum they teach lacks ambition.

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better?

Leaders and managers have a clear strategy for the curriculum that they offer. They ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of apprentices and employers and the requirements of the local economy. For example, they designed a curriculum to meet the needs of adults who are struggling to find work and tailored the content for employers in the textile care sector.

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better?

Leaders ensure that tutors have the appropriate industry expertise and teaching qualifications to teach apprentices. Tutors maintain their occupational expertise, for example by keeping up to date with technological advancements in the digital sector. During the pandemic, leaders ensured that tutors received training to help them develop their online teaching skills.

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better?

On business administration, team leading and digital marketing apprenticeships, tutors adapt the curriculum to meet the individual needs of employers and apprentices. For example, digital marketing employers influence the content and sequencing of the apprenticeship so that it meets their specific needs. Tutors teach essential modules first, 20–23 July 2021 such as branding, so apprentices understand the concept of marketing before moving on to digital marketing.

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better?

Most apprentices on business administration, team leading and digital marketing improve their skills and knowledge incrementally over time. For example, apprentices in business administration learn about business needs and ethos. They apply this knowledge when leading projects at work.

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better?

Not all tutors accurately assess apprentices’ starting points. The resulting individual learning plans are weak and do not plan well enough how apprentices will develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours throughout their apprenticeship. This is particularly the case on health and social care apprenticeships.

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better?

Tutors who teach health and social care do not personalise learning for apprentices to deepen their understanding. For example, the teaching of the administering of medication is the same regardless of whether the apprentice works in a care home, domiciliary care or services for adults with learning disabilities.

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better?

Most apprentices benefit from useful feedback from tutors. However, not all apprentices in health and social care receive feedback to enable them to further improve their work. This means that a significant minority of apprentices in health and social care make slow progress.

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better?

Tutors do not support apprentices well enough to develop their English and mathematical skills. For example, tutors teach key mathematical concepts at too basic a level in health and social care. Tutors on business administration courses do not ensure that apprentices who need to complete a functional skills qualification improve their English and mathematical skills quickly enough.

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better?

Not all tutors plan and coordinate the on- and off-the-job training well enough with employers. This means that apprentices cannot consistently practise the knowledge they gain in the workplace to consolidate their learning.

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better?

Tutors ensure that most apprentices are aware of the requirements of the final assessment and understand how they will be assessed. Not all tutors set apprentices ambitious targets to achieve in their final assessments. Consequently, apprentices do not know what grade they are working to or how to reach their highest potential.

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better?

Leaders and tutors ensure that apprentices are well informed to make decisions about their next steps in their career, including progressing to higher levels of learning. Tutors provide a wide range of impartial information about their next steps. Most apprentices gain promotion or go on to higher levels of learning after completing their apprenticeship. A small minority of apprentices do not receive the correct initial guidance which results in them being on an inappropriate apprenticeship.

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better?

Leaders and managers do not have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their provision. They are not aware that there are variations in quality 20–23 July 2021 between their apprenticeship programmes. Leaders’ quality assurance processes have not been successful in improving the quality of education that all apprentices receive.

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better?

Governors set and monitor key performance targets on achievement and attendance data for senior leaders. They challenge leaders and hold them to account. However, governors do not know that there are differences between the quality of the apprenticeship programmes. This means that governors do not drive improvements to the quality of education that apprentices receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all staff receive appropriate training on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Leaders complete the necessary checks when appointing new staff.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide apprentices with effective training on safeguarding, including how to keep themselves safe when learning online and the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. Apprentices know who to report any safeguarding concerns to. They know how to keep themselves safe.

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Safeguarding

Apprentices know how to work safely. For example, apprentices in health and social care have a good understanding of how to keep residents in their care safe by using the correct procedures to stop the spread of infection.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should ensure that tutors accurately identify apprentices’ starting points and use this information to plan an ambitious curriculum. Tutors should identify any gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and provide feedback to apprentices to help them improve their work.  Leaders should ensure that tutors use the assessments of apprentices’ starting points to set aspirational target grades for them to achieve and monitor their progress against these.  Leaders should ensure that all tutors plan, record and review the on- and off-the-job training with employers so that all apprentices apply and consolidate what they learn off the job while in work.  Leaders should ensure that all tutors receive training, so they are able to support apprentices to develop their English and mathematical skills.  Leaders should ensure that the self-assessment process is rigorous and accurately identifies any variance in the quality of education between the different

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

apprenticeships. They should ensure that the associated development plan assesses the impact of their actions on improving the quality of education. 20–23 July 2021

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Provider details

Address Mallard House, The Sidings Boundary Lane, Saltney, Chester CH4 8RD

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 20–23 July 2021

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the managing director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements including visiting online learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Andrea Machell, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Kim Bleasdale Her Majesty’s Inspector Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones Her Majesty’s Inspector Suzanne Wainwright Her Majesty’s Inspector Beth Selwood Ofsted Inspector 20–23 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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