BPIF Training Limited

BPIF Training Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Mark Parton, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider Address: 2 Villiers Court Copse Drive Meriden Business Park Meriden Coventry CV5 9RN Monitoring visit: BPIF Training Limited, 6 and 7 July 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

BPIF Training Limited is an independent learning provider based in Coventry, and it began delivering apprenticeships from August 2021. The company was formed as a subsidiary training arm from its parent company BPIF Limited. Staff teach apprentices in 10 apprenticeship standards. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 211 apprentices in learning. There were 108 apprentices studying the print technician standard at level 3, 33 apprentices studying the level 3 team leader standard, 28 apprentices were studying print operative at level 2, 14 apprentices studying the level 5 operations manager standard, and a further 28 apprentices studying apprenticeships in business, customer service, sales and senior leadership. The provider does not subcontract any of its provision.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear rationale for the apprenticeships they offer. They have significant knowledge and experience of the sector in which they provide training solutions. Leaders have rightly introduced a wider range of apprenticeships standards to meet the wider national needs of the printing industry. Leaders ensure the programmes they provide meet the apprenticeship requirements.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work with a large range of employers, and employers state they are effectively involved in curriculum design. Leaders ensure that provider staff and employers work effectively in order to design a curriculum based on individual learner’s needs.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders monitor the quality and capacity of employers well. This ensures that apprentices are recruited with integrity and suitably supported throughout their programme. Monitoring visit: BPIF Training Limited, 6 and 7 July 2022 Training coordinators are sector experts and are recruited direct from industry. Apprentices value and develop skills well because of this specialised expertise. However, leaders and managers need to ensure a greater focus is placed on developing the training coordinators’ teaching craft. Leaders have yet to develop a coherent strategy for staff development which can effectively detail the impact of the training staff receive.

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Reasonable progress

The provider’s self-assessment report indicates that leaders and managers appropriately identify their strengths and weaknesses. However, quality improvement plans do not identify well enough metrics that demonstrate a clear and measurable effect on apprentices’ learning.

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Reasonable progress

The governing board successfully holds leaders and managers to account. The board members have an extensive range of expertise in training and management. Governors understand employers’ needs and modern industrial requirements well. They receive suitable information which details provider performance. However, governors recognise they require additional information which elicits more clearly the impact of the actions leaders and managers take.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have selected a curriculum which aligns well with the needs of employers, who are the focus of their apprenticeships, particularly those in the print trade. Throughout their programmes, apprentices develop significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours, which allow them to make an increasing contribution in the workplace in a variety of different methods of printing.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and training coordinators use the starting points of apprentices well in order to plan for their learning and to provide additional support where this is needed. Learners who need to complete mathematics and English examinations as part of their apprenticeship receive one-to-one coaching, and all apprentices receive ongoing development of their English and mathematics skills throughout the programme.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and training coordinators have ensured that the curriculum apprentices follow is logically ordered so as to encourage the development of their knowledge and behaviours. However, their reliance on employers to teach the skills element of the apprenticeship does not fully enable them to manage and monitor the development of apprentices’ skills effectively. Consequently, training coordinators are less clear in measuring the development of these skills, or in filling gaps in apprentices’ abilities.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices demonstrate an awareness of the arrangements for end-point assessment appropriate to the length of time they have been enrolled. Most can Monitoring visit: BPIF Training Limited, 6 and 7 July 2022 articulate well the form their assessment will take and discuss their aspirations to achieve high grades.

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Reasonable progress

In most cases, staff provide helpful feedback to apprentices on their work, which outlines both their successes and areas for improvement. However, as the strategy for the assessment of skills developed in the workplace is not yet fully implemented, apprentices receive feedback on this development only from their employer.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers do not ensure that they monitor effectively the development of all apprentices’ new knowledge, skills and behaviours in the workplace well enough to assure themselves that apprentices are making sufficient progress. For example, training coordinators place too much emphasis on the employer teaching skills in the workplace, and do not measure or assess this effectively enough to ensure that all apprentices are learning industry best practices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have developed a positive culture of safeguarding. Leaders have ensured that robust and thought-through safeguarding policies and arrangements are in place. These policies are reviewed and updated frequently. The designated safeguarding lead is suitably experienced and trained.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders, managers and staff undertake safeguarding training at the start of their employment. Staff then undertake refresher training frequently in order to address apprentices’ safeguarding needs. Leaders successfully share information about national and localised risks apprentices could face through ‘topic of the month’ newsletters.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place a robust system for the referrals, tracking and monitoring of safeguarding concerns, if required. The safeguarding team makes effective use of their strong relationships with local agencies. However, leaders need to ensure that apprentices undertake their learning with regard to safeguarding in a more logical and coherent way. For example, those who are identified as requiring support with e-safety should receive it earlier in their programme.

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Reasonable progress

Staff ensure that apprentices are equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours to work safely in the workplace. As a result, apprentices follow safe work practices, particularly those who operate specialised equipment within the printing industry. Monitoring visit: BPIF Training Limited, 6 and 7 July 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 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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