Qualia Aesthetics Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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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

Qualia Aesthetics Limited is a small independent learning provider based in Huddersfield. At the time of the inspection, there were fewer than five apprentices in learning, all of whom enrolled on the level 3 digital marketing apprenticeship standard. Apprentices work for employers in Leeds and Bradford. At the time of the inspection, the owner and managing director of Qualia Aesthetics Limited was the only teacher. She was in the process of recruiting an additional digital marketing teacher to take over the teaching of apprentices on this standard so that, once appointed, she could focus on growing the business. 26 to 28 July 2023

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

Apprentices benefit from the good teaching and support they receive from well- qualified teachers. Apprentices who lack in confidence when they start their programmes receive very good support and guidance to quickly develop this. They gain good levels of knowledge and skills in digital marketing and become effective employees in their workplaces.

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

Apprentices engage enthusiastically in a well-planned and sequenced curriculum that enables them to build and consolidate their knowledge and skills during their time on the course. This enables them to take on higher levels of responsibility, such as managing social media accounts for clients, planning and implementing digital marketing campaigns and monitoring customer engagement.

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

Teachers provide apprentices with detailed information about the content of the curriculum when they start their apprenticeship. As a result, apprentices have a good understanding of the knowledge and skills they need to gain and the behaviours they need to develop to be successful. However, they are not made sufficiently aware of the demanding nature of the assessments they need to complete as part of the apprenticeship standard. Consequently, they take longer than planned to complete all of the work they need to progress to the end-point assessment.

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better?

The owner and managing director of Qualia Aesthetics Limited engages well with experienced leaders from education and business. The arrangements that have been established ensure that these leaders provide the managing director with effective support and challenge and ensure that the provider delivers good-quality apprenticeships in digital marketing.

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better?

Leaders have designed and implemented an effective curriculum, which aims to engage socially disadvantaged individuals in an education programme that enables them to develop successful careers in digital marketing. However, leaders have not yet established the extent of demand for this apprenticeship. This is because they are heavily involved in teaching the apprentices and need to engage in a range of other commercial activities to ensure that the provider remains a viable business. Leaders do not currently have the capacity to develop more extensive partnerships with local businesses. As a result, the number of apprentices that the provider has recruited since it became a registered training provider has remained very low.

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better?

Teachers are highly qualified and experienced in digital marketing. They ensure that apprentices study all parts of the planned curriculum and, through this, deepen their knowledge and understanding of the industry. Apprentices gain and apply digital marketing skills with increasing fluency and use subject-specific language with 26 to 28 July 2023

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confidence. They apply digital marketing concepts and practices, such as coding, segmentation and distribution channels, well in their work.

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Teachers ensure that employers are well informed about the progress that their apprentices make. Employers speak highly of the training and support that their apprentices receive. Teachers ensure that employers understand the training, support and access to specific types of work they need to provide to enable apprentices to achieve their goals.

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Employers recognise the benefits that apprentices provide to their businesses. Apprentices develop high levels of industry-specific knowledge, skills and behaviours, which they apply to good effect in their day-to-day work. Employers trust apprentices to take full responsibility for managing clients’ accounts and for planning and launching large-scale digital marketing campaigns for them.

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Teachers set high expectations for apprentices’ professional behaviour. Apprentices respond well. They attend all of the scheduled off-the-job training sessions unless they have a valid personal or health related reason not to. Apprentices demonstrate high levels of professionalism in learning and at work. They understand and comply with the professional ethics that are required in digital marketing.

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Teachers provide apprentices with effective careers advice and guidance. Apprentices understand the career progression opportunities available to them in the digital marketing sector. All of the current apprentices have an aspiration to progress to higher-level digital marketing qualifications to support their career development in the industry.

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Through well-planned topics within the curriculum, teachers support apprentices well to be active citizens who have a good awareness of life in modern Britain. Apprentices discuss challenging topics while being respectful of others’ opinions.

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Teachers use ongoing assessments of apprentices’ progress well to make appropriate adaptations to the curriculum. Teachers provide apprentices with helpful feedback about what they need to do to improve their work. However, apprentices have struggled to pass elements of the externally assessed content of the curriculum, particularly the coding examination. Teachers have recognised that more time needs to be spent on this topic to help apprentices prepare for these technical assessments.

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Teachers support apprentices effectively with their well-being. Apprentices who have experienced significant personal challenges value the support they receive, which has helped them to remain on the programme. However, a small number of apprentices still lack the confidence they need to prepare for and complete the work required for the end-point assessment. 26 to 28 July 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established an effective culture of safeguarding and have put appropriate arrangements in place to safeguard apprentices and staff. Apprentices feel safe and understand how to report any concerns they have about their safety and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) is appropriately qualified and takes effective steps to ensure that staff who work with apprentices have been through necessary checks. Leaders ensure that all staff undertake regular training in safeguarding, including in the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established useful links with local authority safeguarding leaders. The DSL is very knowledgeable about the local safeguarding risks. Teachers use this information well to inform the curriculum, covering topics such as county lines, knife crime, forced marriage, and religious or right-wing extremism, which are all issues that apprentices might be exposed to in West Yorkshire.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that apprentices are fully aware of the demands of the apprenticeship programme from the outset and that they receive the support they need to pass the assessments and complete the work that is required to progress to the end- point assessment as soon as they are able.  Ensure that the plans in place to recruit more staff are implemented to enable the provision to grow to a sustainable level to provide apprenticeships that meet the needs of local residents and businesses.  As the provision grows, ensure that an effective structure is put in place to maintain the delivery of a good-quality curriculum. 26 to 28 July 2023

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Provider details

Address Unit F6 The Media Centre Northumberland Street Huddersfield HD1 1RL

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Kirsty Watson

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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 None 26 to 28 July 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the managing director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous monitoring visit 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

Malcolm Fraser, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Sarah Benson-Smith Ofsted Inspector 26 to 28 July 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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