Logistics Skills and Consultancy Ltd

Logistics Skills and Consultancy Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Philippa Firth, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 January 2023

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Unit 24 Tromso Close Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate North Shields Tyne and Wear NE29 7XH Monitoring visit: Logistics Skills and Consultancy Limited, 10 and 11 January 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning provision where the provision offered is in scope for inspection. 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

Logistic Skills and Consultancy Limited is an independent learning provider based in North Shields. At the time of the monitoring visit, nine learners were studying on a ‘logistics pathway’, which consists of five qualifications: entry 3 skills for working in the logistics sector; level 1 award in customer service; level 1 award in personal development for employability; level 2 certificate in warehouse and storage principles; and level 2 certificate in driving goods vehicles. Learners attend full time, five days a week for five weeks.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recognise that there is a huge shortage of goods vehicle drivers locally, regionally and nationally. They have a clear purpose for their courses, which is to prepare learners well for a career in the logistics and transport industry.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work closely with employers to ensure that the content of the courses meets their needs and the requirements of the sector. Leaders adapt the curriculum according to employers’ precise needs, such as by including more content on safety for specific jobs, such as load retention. As a result, learners receive training that is current and relevant to the logistics sector. They develop good employability skills, such as customer service, and the professional logistics skills that they need to apply successfully for jobs. Employers frequently recruit their workforce directly from the provider.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have effective processes in place to monitor the quality of the training that they provide. They have a good overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They frequently visit lessons to evaluate the quality of teaching and provide training to enable tutors to continue to improve their practice, including training on how to use more effective questioning techniques. Monitoring visit: Logistics Skills and Consultancy Limited, 10 and 11 January 2023 Leaders have appropriate and up-to-date warehousing resources, such as a counterbalance forklift truck for heavier weights and a reach truck for extreme heights. Learners benefit from access to these resources and quickly develop the skills they need for employment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders do not use well enough the learner destination data that they collect to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. They recognise this and plan to make better use of their data.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recognise the benefits of having formal governance in place, to hold them to account for the quality of the provision. They are currently in the process of establishing a board of governors.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recruited staff with teaching qualifications and who are experts in the logistics and transport industry. Tutors have extensive knowledge and experience. They have the necessary licences for driving goods vehicles and experience of working in customer care. Tutors use their knowledge and experience well to plan an ambitious curriculum that supports learners to gain the necessary qualifications and to overcome their barriers to employment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors skilfully plan learning to enable learners to build on what they know and have already learned. They use teaching techniques effectively to assess learning and to check learners’ understanding. They make good use of role-play activities to provide opportunities for learners to demonstrate that they have acquired the skills they need to load and unload vehicles safely.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors help learners to develop their English and mathematical skills. They routinely correct learners’ spelling and grammatical errors and teach them the mathematical techniques they need to calculate the number of transport miles needed for deliveries. However, tutors do not improve learners’ digital skills, to help them be more successful in the industry and in their personal lives.

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Reasonable progress

Most tutors provide helpful feedback on learners’ written work, which enables learners to improve the standard of their work. However, in a few instances, feedback on written work is not sufficiently developmental and does not help learners to recognise clearly enough what they need to improve.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors monitor the progress of learners well. Tutors complete a tracking form each day to identify learners who are falling behind. They offer individual catch- Monitoring visit: Logistics Skills and Consultancy Limited, 10 and 11 January 2023 up sessions or the opportunity to join the next course if learners miss too many sessions.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that learners receive helpful careers advice and guidance. Most learners progress to achieving driving qualifications before securing roles in the industry. For example, they secure jobs driving forklift trucks or large goods vehicles and delivering food on bicycles in local areas that are soon to be clean-air zones.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place a designated safeguarding lead (DSL), who has carried out suitable training. The DSL keeps current with local and regional safeguarding issues through useful links with external safeguarding experts, such as the regional ‘Prevent’ coordinator.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place appropriate policies and procedures, which help to keep learners safe. The recruitment policy ensures that leaders recruit staff who are appropriate to work with learners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders train all staff on how to safeguard learners so that they can swiftly recognise and report issues. Tutors record concerns through a daily risk register, which they discuss with the DSL.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have an appropriate ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment and action plan in place. Tutors provide useful training to help learners recognise signs of radicalisation and extremism that they could encounter in the logistics industry. Learners talk about concerns that they may have about data packaging and know to whom they should report concerns. For example, they say they would question delivering a large pallet of bleach to a residential house, as they would be concerned about what the bleach might be used for. Monitoring visit: Logistics Skills and Consultancy Limited, 10 and 11 January 2023 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

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Reasonable progress

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

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