Plymouth Training and Consultancy Ltd

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Plymouth Training and Consultancy Ltd

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Good Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Information about this provider

Plymouth Training and Consultancy Ltd (PTC) is an independent training provider based in Plymouth. The provider changed ownership in June 2023. PTC works with employers across England to offer apprenticeships in the lean manufacturing, care and education sectors. At the time of inspection, PTC had 59 apprentices. Around two thirds were studying the level 2 lean manufacturing operative apprenticeship. Around one fifth of apprentices were studying education apprenticeships, half of these at level 5, and the remainder at level 2. The remaining apprentices were studying apprenticeships in adult care at levels 2, 3 and 5. 25 to 27 October 2023

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

Apprentices enjoy their training at PTC. They are respectful towards each other and present themselves professionally for work and study. Apprentices use the knowledge and skills they have gained through studying their apprenticeship to take on additional responsibilities at work. For example, lean manufacturing apprentices take the lead on health and safety audits to improve safety in their workplace to promote a culture of safe working. As a result, apprentices gain valuable experience that develops their skills and knowledge and quickly makes them employees who are valued by their employers.

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

Apprentices develop quickly their communication skills because of the quality of the training they receive. Trainers teach apprentices how to develop positive and healthy relationships in the workplace and how their attitude towards work affects productivity and efficiency. Many apprentices are given additional responsibilities by employers to lead teams, which they do with increasing confidence and assuredness. For example, those studying care apprenticeships are more confident to contribute to their team meetings, and a minority of apprentices who are studying lean manufacturing have the confidence to deputise for managers to cover absences. Apprentices are well motivated to undertake training to improve their knowledge, skills and behaviours and upgrade their job roles. For example, apprentices in the care sector undertake training with the aim of becoming registered managers in the industry.

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

Apprentices feel safe. They know whom to contact if they or their peers feel unsafe and are confident that their concerns would be taken seriously.

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better?

Leaders took ownership of the provider’s apprenticeship provision in June 2023 with an ambitious strategy to increase apprenticeship training in sectors where there are skills shortages and training is scarce. For example, leaders successfully introduced a lean manufacturing apprenticeship at level 2 for apprentices working in production facilities in response to significant employer need in these areas. Leaders consult effectively with employers to design and implement a curriculum that meets the needs of the production and manufacturing industry. Consequently, apprentices are taught the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours they need for their chosen career.

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better?

Leaders have taken rapid action to support apprentices to achieve their qualifications and complete their apprenticeship. At the time that leaders took ownership of PTC, around half of apprentices who were in training had gone beyond their planned end- date for completing their apprenticeship. Leaders worked diligently with trainers and employers to enable apprentices to complete their training successfully and move on to their next steps. As a result of their actions, the number of apprentices in training beyond their planned end-date has reduced significantly. 25 to 27 October 2023

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Leaders and trainers work well with employers to plan the sequence of apprentices’ on- and off-the-job learning. Trainers ensure that apprentices have the opportunities they need to practise their skills at work and complete progressively more challenging tasks over time. For example, lean manufacturing apprentices learn about health and safety before moving on to rights and responsibilities relevant to their workplace. Trainers ensure that where apprentices are not employed in specific roles as part of manufacturing and production processes, such as quality control, they are given opportunities to undertake these roles. Apprentices are supported well by their employers when on the job to develop the skills required in these roles. Consequently, apprentices gain new knowledge and skills and become more versatile employees.

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Trainers are well qualified and experts in their industries. Assessors use their experiences of the industries to make what they teach relevant and useful for apprentices. For example, manufacturing assessors describe real health and safety ‘near misses’ and analyse with apprentices the successful production projects they have led. Trainers maintain up-to-date subject knowledge and expertise by using their visits to employers to learn about new techniques, processes and materials. A few tutors complete training to enhance the quality of their teaching, such as embedding mathematics into the curriculum. However, leaders do not provide a suitable programme of professional development opportunities to enable assessors to improve the standard of their teaching continuously. As a result, a small number of teaching sessions are not designed well enough to help apprentices learn all of the content that is being taught.

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Most trainers use effective teaching and learning techniques to help apprentices studying qualifications in English and mathematics to understand key content. They work well with those apprentices who require support to develop their confidence and understanding of mathematical problems. For example, trainers use a combination of online and paper-based resources to enable apprentices to work through their answers to questions. Trainers work with apprentices to understand how they arrived at their answers, which helps apprentices to consolidate their knowledge. As a result, three quarters of apprentices studying mathematics qualifications and all apprentices studying English qualifications pass at the first attempt.

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Trainers use well-judged activities to help embed key concepts into apprentices’ long-term memory. For example, manufacturing trainers require apprentices to make photographic records of their workplace to check that apprentices are familiar with health and safety in the workplace. This contextualises fundamental and important safe working practices for apprentices to adhere to and to integrate into their jobs.

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Trainers use assessment well to help apprentices practise and use the knowledge they have been taught. Most apprentices receive constructive and helpful feedback from trainers on their assessment work that informs and supports improvements. Apprentices studying the level 5 adult care leader apprenticeship receive useful feedback on how to apply leadership and management theory to their own practice, for example when completing assignments or carrying out professional discussions. 25 to 27 October 2023

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However, the written feedback assessors provide to a minority of apprentices is cursory and focuses solely on their writing and not enough on the knowledge, skills and behaviours they have demonstrated or need to develop.

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Apprentices develop significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours and apply these well in their workplace. After completion of the apprenticeship, many move on to a range of positive destinations. For example, many apprentices studying care- related apprenticeships achieve promotion to higher skilled jobs, and almost all remain with their employers. However, leaders recognise rightly that achievement rates are too low. They are taking swift action to improve these and have begun to see significant improvements. Those apprentices who complete their qualification achieve well, with around two fifths awarded merit or distinction grades.

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Leaders have not planned or implemented a coherent personal development programme for apprentices. A small minority of apprentices have undertaken additional courses in topics such as food hygiene qualifications. However, these qualifications are largely provided by the apprentices’ employers as essential job requirements. As result, very few apprentices are provided with opportunities to participate in a wider curriculum to enhance their skills, personal interests or hobbies. However, leaders have recently taken action to improve the wider curriculum offered to apprentices through an online system that includes studying a range of short courses to broaden apprentices’ knowledge and skills.

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Leaders and assessors do not ensure that all apprentices are taught well enough about how to keep themselves safe from the risks of radicalisation and extremism. As a result, a few apprentices do not retain important information about how to keep safe from these risks at work and in their personal lives. Leaders have planned the teaching of preparation for life in modern Britain for those apprentices who have recently started the lean manufacturing apprenticeship.

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Trainers provide apprentices with relevant careers advice and guidance. Apprentices are well informed about their potential next steps and what they can do on completion of their apprenticeship. A few lean manufacturing apprentices are ambitious to study team-leading apprenticeships at a higher level so they can move from supervisory or production-line roles into managerial job roles.

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As the organisation has recently changed ownership, governance arrangements are in their infancy. Leaders have put together a governance structure through which leaders can be supported and their actions scrutinised. For example, the governing body includes a safeguarding expert to support the new designated safeguarding lead. It is, however, too soon to see the impact that governors have had on the experience that apprentices receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 to 27 October 2023

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that teaching staff take part in high-quality training to improve their teaching skills continuously.  Ensure that all apprentices are taught a personal development curriculum.  Increase the number of apprentices who stay and achieve. 25 to 27 October 2023

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Provider details

Address Office 09, Genesis 235 Union Street Plymouth PL1 3HN

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 6 and 7 April 2022

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 25 to 27 October 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the operations director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection and monitoring reports. 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 apprentices’ work, seeking the views of apprentices, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Sarah Alexander, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Victoria Wickington Ofsted Inspector Cliff Shaw His Majesty’s Inspector 25 to 27 October 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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