Mercia Training Ltd

Mercia Training Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Carolyn Brownsea, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: One, Albion House Unit 6 High St Woking GU21 6BG Monitoring visit: Mercia Training Limited, 23 – 24 March 2022

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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

Mercia Training Limited is an independent learning provider based in Woking, Surrey. It specialises in training for the health and social care sector. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 39 apprentices in learning. Apprentices study across six different apprenticeship standards. These include six apprentices on the level 2 adult care worker apprenticeship, 16 apprentices on the level 3 lead adult care worker apprenticeship, four apprentices on the level 4 lead practitioner in adult care apprenticeship, seven apprentices on the level 5 leader in adult care apprenticeship, one apprentice on the level 3 business administration apprenticeship and five apprentices on the level 3 digital marketer apprenticeship. The provider does not subcontract any of its provision.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have worked effectively with employers to ensure that their apprenticeship offer meets the needs of the health and social care sector. Leaders work collaboratively with employers to overcome the skills gaps and high staff turnover the sector has faced.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure apprentices develop skills and behaviours beyond the requirements of the apprenticeship standards they are studying. Leaders have incorporated additional accredited leadership and management qualifications. These support apprentices to develop the skills they need to move into management roles. Employers value the high quality of apprentices’ training and the new skills which they demonstrate at work.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently implemented an appropriate new quality assurance system. Managers undertake frequent observations of training and support sessions, which they use well to support learning and development coordinators (LDCs) to continually Monitoring visit: Mercia Training Limited, 23 – 24 March 2022 improve their teaching and assessment skills. LDCs benefit from well-planned development programmes including industry days to maintain the currency of their vocational skills. However, it is too soon to judge the impact on the quality of education.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders use trusted partners to provide governance and oversight. Those in governance roles use their extensive experience of education and industry to support, challenge and hold leaders to account for the quality of training. Governors receive frequent information on important aspects of apprentices’ performance. They use this to challenge leaders to make improvements, such as reviewing the curriculum to ensure it meets local and regional priorities and the needs of employers and their apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders’ objectives to increase awareness of the range of careers and job roles in the sector are successful. They are diligently working with schools and colleges to provide information and guidance on career opportunities, including progression routes at levels 4 and 5.

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Reasonable progress

LDCs plan and teach the curriculum in a sequenced and logical order, carefully taking into account employers’ priorities. For example, LDCs support an employer preparing for a Care Quality Commission (CQC) scheduled infection prevention control inspection by delivering the health and safety unit first. Apprentices working with vulnerable adults complete the safeguarding unit first in order that they swiftly develop the knowledge they need to understand how to keep their clients safe.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from well-planned on- and off-the-job training which provides them with significant new knowledge and skills. They complete well-planned activities such as work-related projects and shadowing colleagues. This helps them to practise what they learn. For example, apprentices explain Urwick’s 10 principles of management and how they have implemented these to ensure clear lines of accountability when preparing for CQC inspections.

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Reasonable progress

LDCs carry out thorough assessments of apprentices’ existing knowledge and skills at the start of their training. They use the information well to plan apprentices’ learning, including adaptations for additional needs such as dyslexia. Apprentices receive effective support, such as access to coloured overlays or coaching sessions that enable apprentices to reflect on their learning and techniques they might adapt in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Teaching is of a high quality, which is valued by apprentices and employers. LDCs and employers work extremely effectively together to quickly identify any gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and skills and to set clear learning goals. Monitoring visit: Mercia Training Limited, 23 – 24 March 2022 Apprentices’ written work is of at least the expected standard, and in a few cases a very high standard. In many cases, LDCs provide useful feedback to help apprentices improve the standard of their work. As a result, apprentices make structural improvements to written reports, or explain their answers more thoroughly. Too many level 5 apprentices do not develop referencing skills to highlight the sources they have used to complete their assignments.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have developed a robust culture of safety and safeguarding. The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and safeguarding team undertake comprehensive training that ensures they have the skills and experience to carry out their roles effectively.

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Significant progress

Staff diligently use a comprehensive system to record all concerns and interactions with apprentices that involve welfare, safeguarding or behaviour. The DSL maintains highly detailed records of the actions taken, the external agencies involved and the subsequent outcome of all concerns that are raised.

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Significant progress

Staff and apprentices benefit from regular training on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty, and bespoke training on emerging localised threats of radicalisation and extremism. Staff use their training on issues such as domestic violence, female genital mutilation, knife crime, gang crime and far-right extremism to raise apprentices’ awareness of potential local threats and help keep them safe. Apprentices feel safe. Monitoring visit: Mercia Training Limited, 23 – 24 March 2022 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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Significant progress

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

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