Aspire Procurement Training Ltd

Aspire Procurement Training Ltd Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: David Towsey, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

International Business Centre Delta Crescent Warrington WA5 7WQ Monitoring visit: Aspire Procurement Training Ltd, 1 and 2 November 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and/or the apprenticeship levy. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’, especially the sections entitled ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Aspire Procurement Training Ltd (Aspire Procurement) is an independent learning provider based in Warrington, Cheshire. Aspire Procurement provides apprenticeship training in procurement and supply for employers throughout England. It has been a direct provider of apprenticeships since March 2022. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 95 apprentices in learning. Of these, 60 were enrolled on the level 4 commercial procurement and supply apprenticeship, and 35 were enrolled on the level 3 procurement and supply assistant apprenticeship. All apprentices were over the age of 19.

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Context and focus of visit

Aspire Procurement works with one subcontractor that provides training for 15 apprentices. The subcontractor teaches the qualifications that are incorporated into the apprenticeship at level 3 and 4.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders offer apprenticeships in procurement to meet employers’ skill needs. They employ specialist tutors with extensive experience in procurement to ensure that apprentices receive up-to-date knowledge and skills from sector professionals.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their provision. They use this information to make improvements quickly. They have recently extended the apprenticeships to give apprentices more opportunities to learn new skills, such as using supplier matrices, to identify and nurture relationships with their supply chain.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work closely with employers to ensure that on- and off-the-job training is coordinated effectively. They ensure that apprentices learn new knowledge and skills and then practise these at work. Apprentices learn about how to manage conflicts of interest then apply these when they oversee the tendering process for contracts. Monitoring visit: Aspire Procurement Training Ltd, 1 and 2 November 2023 This means that apprentices understand the importance of behaving ethically when they make business decisions.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders monitor the quality of training at the subcontractor effectively. They track apprentices’ attendance to sessions, scrutinise apprentices’ assessed work and evaluate how well apprentices apply their training at work. Apprentices who are taught at the subcontractor make swift progress on their apprenticeships.

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Reasonable progress

Members of the governance board do not hold leaders to account for the quality of education that apprentices receive. Leaders have recently established a governance board with appropriately experienced internal and external members. However, it is too early to see the impact of their actions as they have only had one meeting.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours that are highly relevant to their procurement roles. They learn about the most effective practices when undertaking procurement processes, such as using outsourcing effectively to fulfil their supply needs. Apprentices learn how to measure their own work against these processes and often take the lead in writing the procurement policy for their organisation.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers plan apprenticeships carefully so that apprentices incrementally develop the foundational knowledge before progressing to more complex topics. Tutors of the level 4 commercial procurement and supply apprenticeship, first teach apprentices how procurement and supply can add value to a business. They then move on to teaching apprentices the steps that they need to take when procuring goods.

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Reasonable progress

Skills coaches work closely with employers, in nearly all cases, to ensure that apprentices’ training aligns with their roles at work. Where apprentices are unable to gain relevant experience in their job roles, staff work with line managers to provide them with suitable opportunities such as shadowing colleagues’ management of tenders.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors assess apprentices effectively by using tasks that help them to apply their knowledge in the workplace. Tutors ask apprentices to evaluate a tender process that their organisation has completed and consider which stages of the procurement cycle it followed. This process helps tutors to understand what apprentices know and need to learn and subsequently plan individualised learning for apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Staff do not give apprentices sufficient feedback on their written assignments. This prevents them from understanding what they are doing well and what they need to Monitoring visit: Aspire Procurement Training Ltd, 1 and 2 November 2023 improve. In too many cases, tutors only confirm that the requirements of the assessment have been met. This means that tutors do not support apprentices to develop the skills of which they are capable.

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Reasonable progress

Staff have not prepared apprentices sufficiently for their final assessments. Leaders and managers have recently improved curriculums to better prepare apprentices for these assessments. It is too early to identify the full impact of these arrangements.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that staff record, report and manage safeguarding and well-being concerns appropriately. They carry out appropriate pre-employment checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with apprentices. However, they recognise that the designated safeguarding lead needs to undertake appropriate training to ensure they are sufficiently prepared to effectively execute their role.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe. However, leaders and managers do not have an up-to-date understanding of the threats associated with radicalisation and extremism in the localities where apprentices live and work. Monitoring visit: Aspire Procurement Training Ltd, 1 and 2 November 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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Reasonable progress

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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