Secom Plc

Secom Plc Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Helen Morgan, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Address:

National Training Development Centre 6 Ashton Cross Business Village 50 Rocky Lane Birmingham B6 5RQ Monitoring visit: Secom Plc, 19 and 20 April 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Secom Plc was inspected in July 2022. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

Secom Plc is an employer provider of apprenticeships. The company is based in Kenley, Croydon and has a specialised training centre in Birmingham, West Midlands. It received a contract to provide training to apprentices in May 2017. Secom Plc offers a standards-based apprenticeship in level 3 fire, emergency, and security systems. At the time of the inspection, there were 10 adult apprentices in learning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices receive effective training. Apprentices undertake training courses in the national training centre to establish essential theory, as well as enabling them to develop their practical skills. This theory is reinforced in the workplace. As a result, apprentices undertake increasingly complex tasks in their job roles as they progress through their studies. For example, apprentices initially assist more experienced colleagues with tasks such as cable installation. They then move on to more complicated processes, such as programming access control units.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that workplace mentors coordinate additional training opportunities to ensure that apprentices can practise what they have been taught. Apprentices who initially struggle to understand the use of electrical current meter readings and the interpretation of results undertake additional training with effective support from their mentor. They subsequently increase their confidence in completing complex installation projects.

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Reasonable progress

Workplace supervisors and trainers work closely to successfully plan and coordinate apprentices’ on- and off-the-job learning. Apprentices are given additional roles Monitoring visit: Secom Plc, 19 and 20 April 2023 within the workplace to secure their understanding of the taught curriculum and the broader industry. Those apprentices on the service and maintenance pathway are set additional installation working tasks of cable fitting and trunking. As a result, apprentices develop industry knowledge, skills and behaviours, which helps them to make an effective contribution at work.

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Reasonable progress

Workplace supervisors are not always involved in the progress review process for apprentices. Leaders and managers have developed plans to improve this process, but it is too soon to see the full impact of these arrangements. Therefore, in a very small number of cases, the learning tasks undertaken by apprentices are not always fully coordinated to ensure they make the rapid progress of which they are capable.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors plan learning to ensure that apprentices develop high levels of industry- specific knowledge and skills. Apprentices are taught by industry professionals to make sure they understand the latest security and safety technologies. These specialists demonstrate new CCTV installation methods and how to integrate digital and network video recording CCTV systems successfully. Apprentices use this additional knowledge well within their day-to-day roles at work.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors establish apprentices’ starting points carefully. They use this information to ensure that the learning undertaken by apprentices is individualised and targeted to respond to identified skills gaps. For example, apprentices undertake tasks to improve their punctuation and grammar skills. As a result, they make rapid and sustained progress in developing these skills and subsequently produce work of a high standard and complete their apprenticeship before their planned end date.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have ensured that their tracking of apprentices’ progress is now more robust, and apprentices’ skills development is monitored effectively. Tutors make swift intervention if apprentices fall behind during their studies.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors and leaders ensure that apprentices are prepared effectively for their end- point assessments. Tutors alter learning tasks to ensure that apprentices develop a range of skills and behaviours to be successful at work. For example, those apprentices with limited exposure to access control units are given additional off-the- job training sessions to improve their understanding. As a result, apprentices pass their assessments with confidence. Monitoring visit: Secom Plc, 19 and 20 April 2023 Leaders have recently recruited staff with a strong understanding of the security sector. They have plans to improve the quality and range of teaching techniques, with the support of these new staff members, but it is too early to assess the impact on apprentices' learning.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers assess apprentices’ knowledge, skills and behaviours effectively throughout the apprenticeship and use apprentices' assessment outcomes to shape learning further. For example, while undertaking a long-term assessment project, to develop a high security protection system, tutors often revisit practical and theoretical content to further consolidate apprentices’ understanding. As a result, apprentices remember more, and the quality of work that they produce improves over time.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have redeveloped their careers guidance sessions for apprentices, including topics such as self-employment alongside career development opportunities within the company. Leaders identify that retention of staff is a challenge for the organisation and that providing clearer progression pathways may support better retention of staff. Careers guidance has been included in taught sessions, and senior managers act as guest speakers to help apprentices identify progression within the organisation. However, it is too soon to identify a discernible impact of these changes.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices who reach the latter part of their studies can detail the impact of the careers advice they receive. They are made aware of the roles and types of opportunities their apprenticeship affords them. As a result, apprentices understand the actions they would need to take to progress their careers.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices can explain how they develop clear and transferable skills as a result of their studies. They recognise that they can move into electrical installation roles if necessary. Apprentices at the start of their studies can recall initial conversations about where their apprenticeship could lead, but not how they will find out more about these roles as they progress throughout the apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Monitoring visit: Secom Plc, 19 and 20 April 2023 Leaders have developed a quality improvement plan based on areas of improvement identified at the previous inspection. Actions are identified and tracked, and their impact and effectiveness are assessed. Leaders regularly review the progress they have made since the previous inspection. This plan is presented to those responsible for governance, who recognise the key challenges of the provision and their role in making improvements swiftly.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have not yet developed a quality assurance process that allows them to fully recognise areas for improvement outside of the inspection process. However, they recognise the self-assessment process as an area of improvement and are taking steps to ensure that they are better able to monitor the quality of education and training that apprentices receive. For example, steps include implementing observations of teaching, learning and assessment and the use of the learner voice to identify and respond to areas for improvement.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders report to the board every three months, which includes the progress of apprentices, attendance and emergent issues. This allows those responsible for governance to identify issues with individual apprentices as they arise. Leaders continue to reflect upon and improve this process to ensure that the governance board has the right information to help make improvements. For example, leaders ensure that the governance board has information on improvements made to line manager engagement in progress reviews and in ensuring that apprentices receive enough time to complete their academic work.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and those responsible for governance recognise the need for greater oversight and reporting between the provider and the business and are keenly changing practice as a result. Monitoring visit: Secom Plc, 19 and 20 April 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 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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