Forestry Commission

Forestry Commission 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: Technical Training Centre Birches Valley Rugeley WS15 2UQ Monitoring visit: Forestry Commission, 24 and 25 May 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Forestry Commission was inspected in June 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

Forestry Commission is an employer provider of apprenticeships. The company has regional centres throughout England and a specialised training centre in Rugeley, West Midlands. It received a contract to provide training to apprentices in 2019. At the time of inspection, 14 adult apprentices were enrolled on a level 3 forest craftsperson apprenticeship. The provider uses a subcontractor to prepare apprentices for their English and mathematics functional skills examinations.

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Significant progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices benefit from regular and detailed progress reviews. Assessors regularly review apprentices’ progress with line managers and supervisors and discuss areas for apprentices’ development. They work collaboratively to plan apprentices’ skills development at work, linked to their training. Apprentices develop their practical skills rapidly and recognise the value of these meetings to support their learning. Apprentices’ line managers are actively involved with the planning and sequencing of learning. They work closely with the training team to ensure that the development of apprentices’ skills matches work priorities. For example, the curriculum was adapted to prioritise the timing of chainsaw skills over pesticide use. As a result, apprentices quickly develop the skills most important to the region and team in which they work. Assessors work closely with line managers to identify the areas where apprentices

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Significant progress

show a high level of skill or interest to further develop these areas. Apprentices can study specialist courses in pests and diseases or tree surveying. Apprentices are given the opportunity to become specialists in highly skilled areas of practice. Line managers plan apprentices’ on-the-job learning opportunities and skills development alongside apprentices’ training plans to consolidate what they have Monitoring visit: Forestry Commission, 24 and 25 May 2023 learned. They offer wide-ranging opportunities to apprentices and consider their personal development in terms of physical strength and problem-solving, as well as their skills development, for example in creating integrated projects in which apprentices plan the management of an area, including fencing, stock control, site clearance and planting. As a result, apprentices develop their skills quickly. They get the opportunity to practise newly acquired skills on a regular basis.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices learn from trainers who are experts in their subject area. Trainers help apprentices to remember what they have learned by using frequent recap activities. They relate teaching of new topics to tasks in the workplace. They use explanation, demonstration, and practice to ensure that apprentices develop confidence and fluency in their practical skills. Leaders ensure that apprentices study English and mathematical skills that are relevant to their work, in classes that apprentices value and enjoy. Leaders work closely with the subcontractor to identify apprentices’ starting points and then design an individualised curriculum for each apprentice to develop their skills. Apprentices make swift progress from their starting points. They are rapidly able to use their mathematics skills in calculating pesticide dosage and complex woodland tariffing. Trainers provide apprentices with insightful verbal feedback on practical activities

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Reasonable progress

that allow trainers to analyse apprentices’ work and identify what has been done well and how they can improve. For example, when using a chainsaw to fell a tree, trainers analyse the stump with apprentices to explore what the apprentice did well and how they could improve their practice in future. However, feedback on written work is not developmental enough, and apprentices do not recognise its value in improving their work. Leaders provide too few opportunities for trainers to develop their teaching practice. While trainers are given opportunities to develop their industry knowledge and improve their assessment skills, opportunities are not yet created often enough for trainers to improve their teaching practice.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have redeveloped their careers guidance for apprentices, with support from the human resources department, to weave early careers guidance together with a broader understanding of their employer and employment rights throughout the apprenticeship. However, it is too soon to see the impact of this, and apprentices are not yet able to explain what opportunities there are to progress within the organisation. Monitoring visit: Forestry Commission, 24 and 25 May 2023 Leaders understand that retention of skilled staff is a key risk within their organisation. To mitigate this risk, they have focused careers guidance on the broader career opportunities within the forestry commission, including those in research, leadership and support services. Leaders provide apprentices with training that supports their development within the organisation and creates opportunities to progress within the organisation. However, leaders do not make apprentices aware

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Reasonable progress

of the transferable skills they have developed and how these can be applied in different job roles within the organisation. Leaders have not yet fully developed a careers programme that allows apprentices to consider work outside their employer, including considering the skills they are developing or weighing up the benefits and drawbacks of self-employment. They are aware of the need to continue to develop this area and have development plans in place to broaden careers advice and guidance.

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Significant progress

Leaders have developed a strong and effective quality improvement plan since the previous inspection. Actions and key performance indicators are identified and tracked, and their impact and effectiveness are assessed. Leaders regularly review the progress they have made. They make sure that actions are in place to support improvements in all areas. This plan is presented to those responsible for governance, who recognise the key challenges of the provision and their role in making improvements. Leaders report monthly on progress against the quality improvement plan and quarterly on apprenticeship progress to governance groups. As a result, they receive challenge from a variety of levels of governance and management and are supported to implement the necessary changes from within the organisation, for example in creating a separate group to drive quality improvement and ensuring line managers attend apprentices’ progress reviews.

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Significant progress

Leaders and those responsible for governance recognise the need to continually develop their quality improvement plan, adding additional targets throughout the year. They have recognised the need to formally review continuing professional development to ensure that this is appropriate for the needs of the team as well as individuals. As a result, the plan is responsive, and changes are not delayed until the start of the following cycle. Leaders have developed new policies and procedures that support improvements to quality assurance, for example in developing the teaching observation processes. They now have more opportunities to reflect and monitor the quality of education and continually improve apprentices’ learning experiences. Monitoring visit: Forestry Commission, 24 and 25 May 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

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Significant progress

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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