Forum For Sustainable New Venture

Forum for Sustainable New Venture Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Emma Leavey, Her Majesty's Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Unit 6 Waterside Drive Langley SL36EZ Monitoring visit: Forum for Sustainable New Venture, 18–19 August 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

Forum for Sustainable New Venture (FFSNV) trading as e-careers apprenticeships began to deliver apprenticeship in 2020. At the time of the monitoring visit, all apprentices were studying standards-based programmes. Of the 98 apprentices, 30 were on a level 3 mortgage adviser standard, two were on a level 3 assistant accountant standard, seven were on a level 3 business administrator standard, five were on a level 3 payroll administrator standard, one was on a level 3 infrastructure technician standard, one was on a level 4 business analyst standard, nine were on a level 4 data analyst standard, two were on a level 4 development operations engineer standard, one was on a level 4 network engineer standard, 10 were on a level 5 operations or departmental manager standard and the remainder were on a level 4 IS business analyst standard.

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Context and focus of visit

Apprentices are employed by approximately 26 different employers in a range of locations around the country. All training is delivered remotely and many of the apprentices work from home.

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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 and managers have identified appropriate standards to meet the needs of the nationally changing picture of businesses working remotely. They have a clear vision for their apprentices to be upskilled for career progression.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide an ambitious curriculum that focuses on career progression from the start including opportunities to meet with recruitment staff to prepare for next steps. Monitoring visit: Forum for Sustainable New Venture, 18–19 August 2021 Staff recruit apprentices with integrity. Coaches assess apprentices' prior skills and knowledge before they start the apprenticeship effectively. Staff use this information to carefully plan personalised programmes for apprentices. For example, L4 business analyst apprentices who have prior experience of working in business, start by looking at more advanced topics than those who need a more basic grounding in business.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit industry specialists as coaches who have a background in providing commercial training. More experienced coaches provide mentoring for their peers who are less experienced to enable them to improve the quality of their training. For example, the functional skills leader recently supported all coaches to understand better how they could help apprentices who need to take qualifications in English and mathematics.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They have useful quality assurance processes such as observations of progress reviews, discussions with employers and observations of learning sessions including discussions with apprentices. Leaders interrogate progress tracking at weekly meetings to ensure that all apprentices are supported to achieve in a timely fashion.

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Reasonable progress

Governance is in its infancy. Governors do not have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the quality of training and are unable to influence improvements.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have not developed appropriate methods for supporting apprentices with additional needs to achieve to the same standards as their peers.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and coaches plan and structure learning for apprentices carefully. This helps apprentices learn new knowledge in a coherent and sensible manner.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices gain substantial new skills, knowledge and behaviours as a result of their apprenticeships. For example, apprentices on level 3 mortgage advisor learn about the financial regulations they need to know to advise about mortgage decisions.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices and employers rightly value how new learning helps apprentices develop the skills they need to make them more successful in their roles and to open doors to promotions and more responsibilities. For example, one apprentice explained how her level 3 mortgage advisor apprenticeship would help her move from mortgage administration to become an advisor. Monitoring visit: Forum for Sustainable New Venture, 18–19 August 2021 Coaches monitor closely the progress of apprentices. They quickly identify any apprentices who fall behind. Coaches support apprentices who fall behind with their work effectively and help them catch up quickly.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from useful feedback from tutors about the quality of their written work. Those who decide to resubmit work use this feedback to improve both the quality and complexity of their work.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from the 'Job Academy' which provides career information, advice and guidance and preparation for work courses such as CV writing and developing a profile on an employment and networking app. This helps apprentices to prepare for the next step in their careers.

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Reasonable progress

Although most apprentices understand the basics of how they will be assessed at the end of their apprentices, few apprentices or employers can explain this in detail.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have not ensured that apprentices who have qualifications from abroad know whether it will exempt them from functional skills. As a result, apprentices find out late in their apprenticeships if they need to take these qualifications. This means that they have less time to prepare for examinations.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and know to report any concerns to staff at FFSNV. Almost all apprentices know to contact the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) should they have a concern.

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Reasonable progress

The DSL is appropriately trained and gaining experience quickly. Training staff complete relevant safeguarding training before working with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a sensible safeguarding policy which identifies risks and details the processes to follow should a concern become apparent. The DSL has implemented appropriate processes for safer recruitment to make sure staff are safe to work with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders meet the requirements of the 'Prevent' duty by risk assessing activities for apprentices. They have developed appropriate actions to reduce the risks with prioritised timescales of completing actions. However, leaders and staff do not know about any local risks facing their apprentices. As a result, they are not able to help apprentices improve their knowledge of any local threats. Monitoring visit: Forum for Sustainable New Venture, 18–19 August 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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Reasonable progress

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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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