OCS Integrated Solutions Limited

Atalian Servest Integrated Solutions Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Victor Reid, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Address: 42 Dryden Road Bilston Industrial Estate Loanhead Midlothian EH20 9LZ Monitoring visit: Atalian Servest Integrated Solutions Limited, 21 and 22 April 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

Atalian Servest Integrated Solutions (ASIS) Limited is a multinational facilities management company located in Edinburgh that provides clients with a wide range of site-based support services. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atalian Servest Limited, which is based in Bury St. Edmunds.

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Context and focus of visit

ASIS was admitted to the register of apprenticeship training providers in January 2020, and its first cohort of direct-delivery, levy-funded apprentices started in April 2021. At the time of the visit, there were eight adult apprentices in learning, all working towards a level 3 standards-based apprenticeship in Team Leader/Supervisor. The length of programme is approximately 15 months. Apprentices are located at client sites across England, with most concentrated in the Midlands and London regions.

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Context and focus of visit

The apprenticeship is delivered by the company’s learning and development team under an initiative called ‘Opportunity’. Apprentices receive their training through a combination of online learning and face-to-face training provided by facilitators known as skills coaches.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders’ actions to date have been too slow to bring about rapid and consistent improvements in the quality of provision. Leaders do not effectively assess the impact of their actions in relation to the quality of education being received by apprentices. Leaders and managers do not have a sufficiently accurate understanding of the slow progress most apprentices make from starting points toward agreed end-point assessment targets. Monitoring visit: Atalian Servest Integrated Solutions Limited, 21 and 22 April 2022 Leaders’ and managers’ use of data and management information to monitor the delivery and overall effectiveness of the apprenticeship provision is weak. For example, leaders do not systematically monitor the extent to which apprentices are receiving their full entitlement to meet the off-the-job training demands of the programme. In addition, while apprentices have access to learning and development

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Insufficient progress

resources through the organisation’s online learning portal, managers and skills coaches take too little account of the extent to which apprentices are using this resource and what impact it is having in furthering their vocational learning.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not place enough importance on improving all apprentices’ skills in English and mathematics. Leaders have not put into place an effective strategy to ensure that skills coaches support all apprentices, including those who join the programme with prior qualifications in English and mathematics, so that all develop and extend their confidence and mastery in these essential skills.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders’ evaluation of the quality of provision through self-assessment is not thorough or sufficiently self-critical. The most recent report is overly descriptive and lacks evaluative detail to support the judgements made. Actions detailed in the quality improvement plan to date have not resulted in rapid or consistent improvement. Governance arrangements provided through the recently established governance group are embryonic and so, to date, have had no impact.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have established a clear rationale and intent regarding the introduction of the apprenticeship programme in team leading and supervision at level 3. Leaders have ensured that the apprenticeship provides employees with clear progression routes that are suitably aligned to career opportunities available within the business, and more widely.

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Insufficient progress

Managers and skills coaches do not make sufficient use of the information gathered in the early stages of assessments of apprentices’ prior knowledge or their skill gaps to plan challenging learning.

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Insufficient progress

Managers and skills coaches do not ensure that on- and off-the-job training are well coordinated. Most apprentices are not fully aware of the full range of vocational skills that they develop, as they are not always explained or accurately recorded in their training records. In addition, most apprentices are not receiving their full entitlement to learning time away from the immediate pressure of the workplace.

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Insufficient progress

Targets set for apprentices and their learning focus too narrowly on qualification specifications and tasks that they need to complete, rather than on developing the specific skills and behaviours required for working in the sector. Apprentices are not supported well enough to develop new knowledge and skills within their job role so Monitoring visit: Atalian Servest Integrated Solutions Limited, 21 and 22 April 2022 that they develop fluency in these aspects over time. In too many cases, apprentices demonstrate only a cursory understanding of new topics, and the standard of their work is not as high as should be expected. As a result, most apprentices do not make the progress of which they are capable.

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Insufficient progress

Managers and skills coaches do not work collaboratively with employers to ensure that they coordinate workplace activities with off-the-job training. Too frequently, line managers do not attend apprentices’ reviews. As a result, line managers do not have a clear understanding of what their apprentices will be learning or how they can help support them to both consolidate and apply new learning in the workplace. In addition, too many apprentices and their employers do not have a precise understanding of the requirements associated with end-point assessment, including the target grades that apprentices should be working towards.

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Insufficient progress

A minority of apprentices are developing some useful new knowledge, skills and behaviours. For example, they are developing confidence in being able to plan and hold ‘toolbox talks’ in their place of work, where they share key information and set expectations for staff who they supervise.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that appropriate pre-employment checks are carried out on staff who have access to or deliver on the apprenticeship programme. All staff are subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

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Reasonable progress

Training staff involved with the apprenticeship programme receive mandatory training in the ‘Prevent’ duty and for safeguarding. This is refreshed on a regular basis so that they are aware of their responsibilities for the protection of apprentices. The designated safeguarding lead is suitably trained to undertake the role. Apprentices know where to go to report any safeguarding concerns that they may have. Apprentices have a secure understanding of wider health and safety issues related to their workplaces, including ensuring that those they supervise work safely and follow safe working practices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have introduced appropriate policies and procedures for safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty that have a clear emphasis on apprentices’ safety and security. However, leaders have not yet established a specific ‘Prevent’ duty action plan setting out how they are monitoring local vulnerabilities or evaluating the impact of any actions being taken in respect of protecting apprentices against the dangers associated with extremism and radicalisation. Monitoring visit: Atalian Servest Integrated Solutions Limited, 21 and 22 April 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

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Reasonable progress

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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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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