Call of the Wild (Development) Limited

Call of the Wild (Development) Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Clifford Shaw, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 30 November and 1 December 2023

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider Address: 83 Church Road Seven Sisters Neath SA10 9DT Monitoring visit: Call of the Wild (Development) Limited, 30 November and 1 December 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

Call of the Wild (Development) Limited is an independent learning provider. It received a contract to provide standards-based apprenticeships in June 2022. At the time of the inspection, ten apprentices were studying the career development professional apprenticeship at level 6. Apprentices are employed in careers hubs, schools and further education training providers as careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) advisers. All apprentices are aged 19 or over.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders are ambitious to provide high-quality apprenticeships. They use their experience of providing CEIAG qualifications well to plan apprenticeship training that meets the needs of the employers with whom they work. For example, leaders ensure that apprentices gain the knowledge and skills they need in order to work with different client groups, such as adult jobseekers, career changers or young people in schools.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that the requirements of the apprenticeship are met. They work well with employers to ensure that apprentices have the time they need to study and have good opportunities to practise and apply what they learn on the apprenticeship in their job roles.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders appoint experienced assessors who have detailed knowledge of the apprenticeships they teach. Assessors work well with employers to plan a curriculum that provides apprentices with opportunities to apply what they have been taught on the apprenticeship in their job roles. For example, many apprentices gain knowledge about how to manage complex projects by designing, delivering and evaluating career-related learning events such as recruitment fairs. Monitoring visit: Call of the Wild (Development) Limited, 30 November and 1 December 2023 Leaders have a broad understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the apprenticeships they provide. They have put in place sensible improvement actions and monitor most of these well. However, leaders recognise rightly that they have been slow to scrutinise the quality of teaching and to put in place continuous professional development to improve weaknesses. For example, assessors do not use

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Reasonable progress

well enough the information they gain on apprentices’ prior knowledge and experience to plan training. Consequently, a minority of apprentices repeat what they already know and do not make progress as quickly as they should. Leaders do not plan well enough a wider curriculum so that apprentices receive opportunities to develop further their interests and hobbies, such as citizenship or exercise and health activities. As a result, most apprentices do not participate in learning or activities outside their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and assessors plan training carefully so that apprentices have good opportunities to practise and apply new knowledge, skills and behaviours at work. For example, apprentices who are school CEIAG advisers are given responsibility for liaising with employers to plan work placements for pupils. Assessors set apprentices challenging assignments to apply what they know and can do in different situations. For example, apprentices are required to compose careers content for live television broadcasts from events and to write careers columns for school newsletters. As a result, apprentices improve their written English and learn how to edit information effectively so that it is understood by a wider audience.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and assessors ensure that apprentices become knowledgeable about how to meet the needs of clients. For example, apprentices who advise adults use questions that take account of clients’ family commitments as part of return-to-work or career- change interviews. They learn how to conduct supportive CEIAG interviews for adult clients who have not been in employment because of health reasons. For example, apprentices use techniques to give the client ownership of the process, such as deciding where the interview should take place. As a result, clients are more relaxed and provide better information for apprentices to use as part of the client’s career planning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and assessors plan training so that strong links are made between the theories apprentices are taught and their job roles. For example, apprentices use creative thinking theory effectively to help clients who are considering self- employment to analyse the strengths and risks in their plans.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders do not ensure that assessors provide all apprentices with useful feedback and targets on the standard of their assignment work to help them to improve. Assessors’ feedback to a minority of apprentices is imprecise. For example, assessors instruct apprentices when to submit work but do not assess, or comment on, Monitoring visit: Call of the Wild (Development) Limited, 30 November and 1 December 2023 sufficiently the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices are developing and demonstrating. As a result, apprentices are unclear about what they need to do to rectify errors or deficiencies in their assignment work. They become demotivated and do not make the progress of which they are capable.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put age-appropriate arrangements in place to keep apprentices safe. They ensure that the staff they appoint are suitable to work with apprentices. Those responsible for safeguarding are experienced in their roles. Staff receive annual training in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty, and as a result, they understand their responsibilities well.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe. They value the regular checks that assessors make on their well-being. Leaders plan training well so that apprentices are taught about the risks of radicalisation, although this is not revisited by assessors. As a result, a minority of apprentices do not recall well enough important knowledge about how to keep safe in their personal lives and at work. Monitoring visit: Call of the Wild (Development) Limited, 30 November and 1 December 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

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Reasonable progress

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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