Northcoders Teched Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Northcoders Teched Limited

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Information about this provider

Northcoders Teched Limited (NTL) is an independent learning provider that specialises in training for software development engineers. Its head office is in Trafford, Manchester, with further training hubs in Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. NTL was established in 2016 to provide coding ‘skills bootcamps’ to meet a nationally identified skills shortage. In 2020, it acquired another independent learning provider to meet the demand for the level 4 software developer apprenticeships.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 57 apprentices studying the level 4 software developer standard. NTL provides training for apprentices across most regions of England. 1 to 3 February 2023

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

Apprentices learn in a calm and professional environment. They show positive and respectful attitudes to each other and to staff. Apprentices are motivated to learn, and they attend their learning sessions and progress reviews regularly.

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

Most apprentices are new to software development and have little or no previous experience of working in the digital sector. They quickly develop new skills that enable them to produce more complex work in their job roles. Apprentices are proud of the projects they contribute to at work. Employers recognise the valuable contribution that apprentices make to their businesses.

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

Apprentices appreciate the in-depth support that they receive from their skills coaches and trainers. They value skills coaches’ and trainers’ quick responses to their requests for support.

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

Apprentices benefit from a well-designed curriculum that extends beyond the apprenticeship standard. They study for additional, industry-recognised qualifications relating to ‘the cloud’ and software development methodologies that help them to broaden their skill set and become more desirable to employers. During their progress reviews, apprentices discuss relevant information about how to keep physically and mentally healthy.

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

Skills coaches ensure that apprentices have a thorough understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe and protected in the digital world. They use technical examples effectively to illustrate safeguarding and safety topics in relation to software development. For example, trainers ensure that apprentices are aware of techniques to keep data safe online by understanding the purpose of two-factor authentication and the impact a structured query language (SQL) injection can have on system and data security. Apprentices can explain articulately the impact of radicalisation and extremism in the context of their workplace and the potential risks to cyber and personal security.

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

Apprentices told inspectors that their confidence and communication skills have improved significantly because of their apprenticeship. These have helped them to develop effective working relationships with their colleagues at work and to feel able to consider opportunities for career progression with their employer.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that provides the necessary training to meet the national skills shortages in the software development industry. It prepares apprentices to rapidly become highly competent junior software developers. The majority of apprentices achieve either a merit or distinction grade in their final assessments. 1 to 3 February 2023

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Leaders have developed effective partnerships with employers and external organisations. They work closely with employers to develop apprenticeships that meet their business needs. Leaders place a strong emphasis on ensuring that all apprentices are in roles that allow them to apply the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they learn to their daily work.

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Trainers and skills coaches plan the curriculum logically to ensure that apprentices build substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours incrementally over time. For example, apprentices attend a foundation programming language workshop before progressing to back-end development tasks and SQL databases. Apprentices learn how to write code with advanced error handling functions, such as ensuring that the software continues to run even when the network has gone offline. Apprentices produce code that is of a high standard.

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Skills coaches link on- and off-the-job training effectively. They work closely with employers to ensure that apprentices have the right opportunities at the right time. This helps apprentices to apply the theoretical knowledge they learn to tasks they complete at work. Skills coaches monitor apprentices’ progress carefully. Where apprentices struggle with specific concepts, skills coaches direct them to complete additional, related activities, including practical tasks in the workplace. These enable apprentices to secure their knowledge and skills in areas that they find more difficult and to build their confidence.

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Apprentices continue to develop their English and mathematical skills throughout their apprenticeship. For example, skills coaches discuss how apprentices use mathematical skills to solve problems when writing code, such as conditional logic to query databases and retrieve user information. Apprentices learn how to annotate their technical work skilfully and to produce clear explanatory written documents for non-technical clients. Apprentices use highly technical vocabulary fluently in their written work.

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Written feedback on apprentices' work is detailed and challenging. Skills coaches encourage apprentices to complete their portfolio work to the best of their ability. Their feedback helps apprentices to reflect carefully on what they have produced and to identify for themselves how they can further improve the standard of their work. For example, apprentices review the length of code they have written to identify whether they can reduce its length and make it more succinct and professional.

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Trainers and skills coaches are well qualified in their subject specialisms and support roles. Leaders provide a range of professional development and training opportunities for staff, including mentoring roles from more experienced members of staff and opportunities to undertake technical projects as part of an internal software development team.

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Skills coaches do not always set sufficiently challenging targets in apprentices’ reviews. A minority of targets are task-oriented, such as ‘complete the next unit’ or ‘update the off-the-job training log’. Where targets do relate to developing 1 to 3 February 2023

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apprentices’ broader knowledge, these help them to understand areas of software development beyond their current job roles. For example, apprentices whose work is purely back-end development, learn front-end knowledge and skills that allow them to gain experience in different teams in their workplaces.

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Leaders do not ensure that apprentices have access to comprehensive careers information, advice and guidance that help apprentices to prepare fully for their next steps. While skills coaches provide apprentices with links to a variety of internal careers information and events relating to the digital sector, apprentices do not have a sufficient understanding of the wider career opportunities available outside their current organisation.

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Leaders have worked diligently to improve the quality of education since their new provider monitoring visit (NPMV). They have implemented new quality assurance and improvement processes that have helped them to rectify swiftly and effectively most of the concerns identified at this previous visit. However, a few quality improvement activities require further refinement to ensure an even greater impact on raising standards. For example, actions for skills coaches and trainers following the observation of teaching and learning are not sufficiently detailed to help staff understand how they can improve their teaching skills further or share good practice.

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Leaders have created an effective governance board that focuses solely on improving the quality of the apprenticeship provision. It provides rigorous external scrutiny and challenge to leaders and holds them to account for their actions. The board has supported and directed leaders to make rapid improvements following the outcomes of the NPMV. However, the board is currently operational and does not yet provide a strategic oversight of the apprenticeship provision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders place a high priority on the safeguarding and well-being of their apprentices. Apprentices and their employers are very well informed about safeguarding, fundamental British values and the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. Employers fully understand their responsibilities in keeping their apprentices safe.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding leads are appropriately qualified to carry out their roles effectively. All skills coaches are trained to a level 3 standard to help them to deal swiftly with any safeguarding concerns as they arise. Other staff receive appropriate training on safeguarding, the ‘Prevent’ duty and mental health issues.

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Safeguarding

Staff are fully aware of safeguarding risks in the regions where they work. They have developed effective links with relevant safeguarding agencies in their areas. Staff share safeguarding intelligence nationally across the organisation to inform colleagues of new issues of which they may not yet be aware. 1 to 3 February 2023

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Leaders carry out relevant pre-employment checks to confirm new staff’s suitability to work with their apprentices.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders and managers should ensure that skills coaches set targets for apprentices that are focused clearly on what the apprentice needs to learn next or what they need to do to improve.  Leaders should ensure that apprentices have access to comprehensive careers information, advice and guidance that cover software development opportunities and career progression across the sector.  Leaders and governors should ensure that all quality improvement processes result in further improvements to the quality of education.  Governors should ensure that they develop a strategic oversight of the curriculum to support leaders to maintain and further improve the quality of all aspects of the apprenticeship provision. 1 to 3 February 2023

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Provider details

Address Manchester Technology Centre 103 Oxford Rd Manchester M1 7ED

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors Not applicable 1 to 3 February 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the managing director (apprenticeships), 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 Wainwright, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Jaqui Scott Ofsted Inspector Gareth Luke Ofsted Inspector 1 to 3 February 2023

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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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