Ernst and Young LLP

Ernst and Young LLP Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Stuart Collett, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 16 and 17 November 2022

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Address:

1 Colmore Square Birmingham B4 6HQ Monitoring visit: Ernst and Young LLP, 16 and 17 November 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

Ernst and Young LLP (EY) are a global professional services organisation with headquarters in London and offices around the world. EY secured a contract to offer apprenticeships to its own staff as an employer provider in 2017 and began offering apprenticeships at level 7 in 2018. However, these apprenticeships did not come into scope for an Ofsted monitoring visit until April 2021. At the time of the visit, there were 1,695 apprentices, all on the level 7 accountancy or taxation professional apprenticeship. EY currently works with five subcontractors, all of which teach the professional qualifications that apprentices study as part of their apprenticeship, and three of which provide specialist English and mathematics teaching to the very small number of apprentices who need to undertake functional skills examinations.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for delivering apprenticeships as an employer provider, following a long-established tradition of employers within the professional services sector developing talent from within. They have made a strategic decision to offer two entry points to their apprenticeship, school leavers and graduates, both to meet the ongoing recruitment needs of the organisation. This broadens the opportunities available to young people with an interest in entering the profession. They have also adopted several strategies to increase the number of apprentices from under-represented groups, such as removing academic attainment requirements for entry to their school-leaver and graduate programmes.

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Significant progress

Leaders have selected a curriculum that combines the ongoing business needs of the organisation with the professional certifications required as a licence to practice in the sector. Apprentices follow carefully tailored curriculum pathways that are based on the areas in which they work - assurance, consulting, strategy and transactions, Monitoring visit: Ernst and Young LLP, 16 and 17 November 2022 or tax - and take the appropriate professional examinations linked to their pathway alongside their learning in the workplace.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have developed robust quality assurance arrangements for their apprenticeships. They have formed a quality team made up of vocationally experienced professionals, representing each area of the business, who are well placed to provide vocational insight across all apprenticeship pathways. This group regularly scrutinise examination performance with subcontractors alongside apprentices’ progress towards the development of knowledge, skills and behaviours in the workplace. They use the findings of this scrutiny, alongside the outcomes of a variety of other quality assurance activities, to monitor and update the quality improvement plan, ensuring that improvements are made. For example, leaders have introduced a mixture of face-to-face and remote sessions in response to apprentices’ feedback and their performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have robust arrangements in place to manage subcontractors. They conduct regular analysis of apprentices’ performance and joint quality assurance activities and set stringent key performance indicators against which subcontractors are closely monitored. They meet regularly with subcontractors to review this performance and act quickly, where necessary, to drive improvements.

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Significant progress

Leaders have formed a governance board for their apprenticeships made up of suitably qualified and experienced leaders from across the organisation. Governors demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the strengths and areas for development within apprenticeships and provide effective support and challenge to leaders to make improvements.

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Significant progress

Coaches ensure that apprentices’ starting points are thoroughly assessed. They use the results of these assessments to generate learning plans that are logically sequenced and ensure that the tasks that apprentices undertake become incrementally more complex over time. As a result, apprentices gain the knowledge and skills they need to be effective in their job roles quickly, and the speed at which they further develop these skills remains rapid throughout their studies.

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Significant progress

Apprentices value the highly effective support that they receive, both in the workplace and in the classroom. They are supported by a counsellor and a coach in the workplace who work together to plan employer-led training and monitor apprentices’ progress towards the development of new knowledge, skills and behaviours. Coaches also work with subcontractors to monitor and manage apprentices’ learning in the classroom. As a result, apprentices follow highly individualised programmes that focus on the key areas they need to develop. Monitoring visit: Ernst and Young LLP, 16 and 17 November 2022 Leaders ensure that on- and off-the-job training is coordinated very well. Managers and coaches work closely with classroom trainers and counsellors to ensure that apprentices have regular opportunities to put their new knowledge and skills into practice in the workplace. Consequently, apprentices consolidate their learning and

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Significant progress

Both internal and external trainers are suitably qualified and vocationally experienced professionals. They use a range of effective assessment activities to check apprentices’ understanding and use this to plan future teaching. For example, trainers use the results of formative knowledge assessments and mock examination exercises to frequently assess apprentices’ understanding and adjust their future teaching to fill any gaps in their knowledge.

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Significant progress

Trainers and leaders support those apprentices who fall behind in their studies effectively. Apprentices who need to retake external examinations are supported effectively through ‘pass strategy action plans’. These plans involve additional teaching and one-to-one support. Consequently, most apprentices who need to retake examinations pass at their next attempt.

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Significant progress

Leaders and trainers ensure that apprentices are fully aware of the arrangements for end-point assessment (EPA). Apprentices understand the requirements of EPA and feel supported by their tutors to prepare for these assessments. The large majority of apprentices complete their EPA successfully.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have appointed a suitably qualified and experienced designated safeguarding lead (DSL) who oversees safeguarding for the apprenticeship programme. The DSL is supported by a team who provide support to all staff but have also been specifically trained in the safeguarding of apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

The DSL has developed appropriate policies and procedures for the safeguarding of apprentices, which align with the wider policies and values of the organisation and include, for example, a robust safeguarding policy, appropriate risk assessments, and guidance on the safe recruitment of staff.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have sought external advice and built links with external agencies and bodies to identify safeguarding best practice, which is shared effectively with all staff involved with the apprenticeship programme.

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Reasonable progress

Given the nature of the environment in which they work, leaders are acutely aware of the pressures that apprentices may experience. Consequently, leaders have developed a range of resources to support apprentices with their mental health and Monitoring visit: Ernst and Young LLP, 16 and 17 November 2022 ensure that all apprentices have access to a mental health first aider should they need support. Monitoring visit: Ernst and Young LLP, 16 and 17 November 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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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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