Libra Europe Consulting Ltd

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Libra Europe Consulting Ltd

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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Information about this provider

Libra Europe Consulting Limited (Libra) is an independent learning provider. It provides training in leadership and management, and engineering and manufacturing technologies. Libra Europe Consulting Limited has had a contract to deliver apprenticeships since February 2019. All apprentices are on standards-based apprenticeships. Training is mainly carried out remotely through an online portal.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 155 apprentices in learning. Apprentices are located across England. There were 66 apprentices on the level 5 operations or departmental manager, 28 on the level 3 team leader or supervisor, 25 on the level 3 improvement technician, 22 on the level 4 improvement practitioner, 10 on the level 5 improvement specialist and the remainder on the level 2 lean manufacturing operative apprenticeships. 4 to 7 October 2022

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

Too many apprentices are not motivated to complete the work that coaches set. They frequently take many months to respond to and complete the actions set for them by coaches. This results in many apprentices making slow progress towards the completion of their apprenticeship.

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

Apprentices do not receive effective support from coaches to help them swiftly develop substantially new knowledge, skills and behaviours. They do not improve the standard of work, and a few do not complete it at all. This is not the case for level 3 team leader or supervisor apprentices, who do benefit from feedback that supports them to improve their work.

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

Apprentices are not provided with an effective programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance by staff at Libra. They do not have a sufficient understanding about the range of career opportunities or further study available to them. A few level 4 improvement practitioner apprentices are aware of progression opportunities within their workplace.

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

Apprentices do not benefit from a sufficiently broad curriculum beyond that of their apprenticeship standard. While leaders provide a range of resources for apprentices to use to develop skills beyond their apprenticeship, these are not effectively integrated into the curriculum. Leaders do not check whether apprentices use these resources. Apprentices told inspectors that they did not access these resources.

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

Most apprentices enjoy their training sessions. Apprentices demonstrate respect and courtesy for their coaches and colleagues. They feel confident to contribute to discussions and voice their own opinions. They readily support each other in online sessions. Level 3 improvement technician apprentices offer help to colleagues with concepts, for example control charts.

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

Most apprentices attend their training sessions. A few level 5 operations or departmental manager apprentices have consistently low attendance. This results in them not making the progress of which they are capable.

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

Most apprentices improve their confidence as a result of their apprenticeship. Level 5 operations or departmental manager apprentices learn how to hold difficult conversations with staff and stakeholders and deliver presentations professionally. This supports them to present to their colleagues effectively solutions to workplace problems.

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

Apprentices feel safe. They apply their knowledge of health and safety at work. They use risk assessments to pre-empt and prevent incidents when operating machinery or managing hazardous waste. 4 to 7 October 2022

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better?

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for the curriculum that they offer. In response to local and national employers’ skills needs, they provide apprenticeships in continuous improvement, and leadership and management.

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better?

Leaders and managers do not always recruit with the integrity required of the apprenticeship programme when recruiting apprentices. Too often apprentices’ job roles do not align with the requirements of the apprenticeship. These apprentices are unable to produce the correct level and standard of work that is required of the apprenticeship. Leaders and managers continued to recruit apprentices throughout the pandemic despite knowing that many employers were unable to release apprentices to complete their training. Leaders and managers have implemented new processes to improve the recruitment of apprentices. It is too early to see the full impact of these changes.

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better?

Leaders and managers do not ensure that the apprenticeships that they offer meet the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship. Apprentices do not receive an individualised curriculum based on what they already know and what they need to learn. Leaders and coaches do not coordinate on- and off-the-job training effectively; many apprentices do not get the time they need to attend their training sessions. Apprentices are frequently unable to practise the knowledge and skills they have learned.

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better?

Managers’ engagement with employers is not fully effective. Employers do not understand the commitment required to support their apprentices. The curriculum is planned to meet the needs of the employer and insufficiently focuses on the needs of the apprentice. For example, all level 5 operations or departmental manager apprentices are expected to complete their apprenticeship in a substantially shorter period than what is recommended in the apprenticeship standard. This has resulted in many of these apprentices not completing their apprenticeship on time. Managers have made recent changes to improve employer engagement for more recently recruited apprentices. However, the impact of these changes is not yet evident.

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better?

Leaders and managers do not have a clear oversight of apprentices’ progress. A substantially high proportion of apprentices leave their apprenticeship early or before the completion of their final assessments. Leaders and managers do not have an accurate understanding of why apprentices leave their apprenticeship. Consequently, they have not put in place any actions to prevent these high numbers of apprentices leaving in the future.

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better?

Leaders and managers have not yet rectified many of the weaknesses identified at the previous monitoring visit. They have been too slow to implement the improvements needed to ensure that apprentices receive a high-quality apprenticeship. 4 to 7 October 2022

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The actions that most coaches set for apprentices are not effective. Coaches set actions focused on the completion of tasks to meet qualification criteria rather than the development of knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need to acquire to be productive at work. Apprentices that fall behind do not have effective support to help them catch up quickly. Conversely, level 4 improvement practitioner apprentices use feedback effectively in order to incorporate improvement principles, such as the RACI model, within their workplace project.

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Coaches do not prepare apprentices for their final assessments. Too many apprentices are not aware of the requirements or grades they could achieve until very late in their apprenticeship. A few, recently appointed, apprentices receive better information and support for their final assessments.

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Leaders recruit staff who have the appropriate industry expertise and qualifications to teach apprentices. Staff maintain their occupational skills by completing development activities, such as working at employers’ premises and attending industrial exhibitions to learn about single use plastics. They use this learning to improve the curriculum for apprentices.

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Leaders have improved the monitoring of the performance of staff. Staff are provided with development plans to support them to improve their teaching and coaching skills.

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Governance is not effective. Governors do not have meetings with managers to discuss the many weaknesses that leaders have identified in their self-assessment report. Leaders have still not recruited an external governor despite this being identified as a weakness at the previous monitoring visit.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers have put in place appropriate policies and procedures that they use effectively in order to ensure that apprentices and staff are safe. Checks during recruitment ensure that staff are suitable to work with apprentices.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding lead is appropriately trained. Staff complete training and regular updating on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Apprentices know how and to whom they should report safeguarding concerns.

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Safeguarding

Coaches do not ensure that apprentices have a full understanding of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. Consequently, many apprentices do not know how to keep themselves safe from these risks at work and in their personal lives. 4 to 7 October 2022

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should rigorously monitor apprentices’ progress to identify those apprentices who are not making their expected progress. Where apprentices fall behind, leaders should set clear and effective actions for apprentices to catch up so that they can complete their apprenticeship on time.  Leaders should identify what apprentices already know and can do at the start of their apprenticeship and use this information to provide an individualised curriculum so that all apprentices develop substantially new knowledge, skills and behaviours.  Leaders should ensure that apprentices’ on- and off-the-job training is planned and coordinated effectively so that apprentices can practise, improve and master their knowledge, skills and behaviours.  Leaders and managers should ensure that all apprentices have a thorough understanding of the requirements of their final assessments and the grades that they can achieve early in their apprenticeship.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders and managers should ensure that the feedback that apprentices receive clearly identifies what they need to do to improve their work to the required standard.  Leaders and managers should establish effective governance arrangements to quickly rectify the weaknesses and provide leaders and managers with the scrutiny and challenge required to improve the quality of education that apprentices receive. 4 to 7 October 2022

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Provider details

Address Colony 5 Piccadilly Place Manchester M1 3BR

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 4 to 7 October 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the head of qualifications, 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 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

Suzanne Horner, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Kevin Dowson Ofsted Inspector Janine Archer Ofsted Inspector Kelly Perkin His Majesty’s Inspector Suzanne Wainwright His Majesty’s Inspector Bev Barlow Ofsted Inspector 4 to 7 October 2022

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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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