Essity UK Limited

Essity UK Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Jacquie Brown, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Address:

Prudhoe Mill Princess Way Prudhoe Northumberland NE42 6HE Monitoring visit: Essity UK Limited, 12–13 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

Essity UK Limited is an employer provider based in Prudhoe, Northumberland. It provides training to apprentices in engineering. It currently has 34 apprentices enrolled on programmes, of whom 19 are on level 2 engineering operative, 10 on level 3 engineering technician and five on level 3 maintenance and operations engineering technician. Around a third of apprentices are under 19 years of age.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have a clear curriculum strategy which is to train apprentices to meet the skills shortage in the region for electrical, mechanical, maintenance and processing technicians. They provide apprenticeships at level 2 and level 3 which enable apprentices to progress from being process technicians to becoming maintenance technicians.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders, managers and trainers are ambitious for their apprentices and are keen for them to progress in the business. Trainers provide useful careers information to apprentices about a wide range of internal progression opportunities. Many apprentices progress to team leader and departmental manager roles, and work in quality assurance.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers ensure that apprentices who are close to their end date have a good understanding of the end-point assessment (EPA) requirements. Apprentices benefit from valuable support from trainers to help them to prepare for the assessment. For example, they complete practice knowledge questions and have mock professional discussions. Apprentices who are not as close to their end date have a more basic understanding of EPA requirements. Monitoring visit: Essity UK Limited, 12–13 December 2023 Leaders and managers have suitable oversight of the quality of training and the progress that apprentices make. Trainers complete peer observations of training and discuss the outcomes with each other and with managers. Managers complete observations of training and provide feedback to trainers. However, they do not link the outcomes of these observations sufficiently well to planned training for individual

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Reasonable progress

trainers. Trainers do not carry out training to develop their teaching skills further.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers ensure that the programmes that they deliver meet the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship. Apprentices attend frequent progress reviews with their trainer, and mentors from the shop floor contribute to these reviews. Leaders and managers ensure that training plans are in place for apprentices and adjust funding, as appropriate. However, these adjustments are not recorded on apprentices’ individual training plans.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers identify apprentices’ starting points accurately. They assess apprentices’ English and mathematics skills regardless of prior attainment, which enables them to understand fully apprentices’ current level of skill. Apprentices also carry out a mechanical and electrical knowledge test to identify their engineering knowledge, which trainers use to plan individual learning programmes.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers plan and deliver the curriculum in a logical order to enable apprentices to develop their knowledge and skills successfully. Apprentices begin by completing basic practical tasks such as producing a bevel gauge. They then move onto more complex tasks such as making a scratch gauge, building on the skills from the first assessment. After mastering this, apprentices produce a drill and thread gauge incorporating the efficient use of machinery. In the final assessment, apprentices use all the previous skills that they have developed but to tighter tolerances and accuracy.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers are highly skilled and have experience of working in the engineering industry. They use a wide range of teaching methods to teach apprentices well. For example, trainers give a clear explanation when introducing topics and demonstrating practical tasks.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from high-quality on-the-job training with the support of experienced mentors in the workplace. This enables them to develop the occupational competence that they need to become productive members of their teams. For example, apprentices learn to operate machines competently and to make basic repairs to them. Monitoring visit: Essity UK Limited, 12–13 December 2023 Trainers use a range of assessments effectively to check apprentices’ understanding and progress over time. They use tests and written assignments to assess apprentices’ knowledge and observe apprentices completing practical activities.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers support apprentices effectively to develop further their English and mathematical skills by integrating these subjects in vocational sessions. Apprentices use measuring equipment, working within tolerances, and calculate drill sizes for threads. Trainers provide apprentices with valuable feedback on their written assignments to enable them to improve their English skills.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers do no provide effective support to the very few apprentices who need to achieve a level 2 qualification in English. Leaders and managers are aware of this and are trying to source another provider to teach functional skills English.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers provide useful training to apprentices on safeguarding during induction and throughout the programme. They cover topics such as online safety, sexual violence and harassment, and county lines.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from valuable training about the potential risks of extremism and radicalisation. They can explain the signs of someone being radicalised, such as a change in behaviour.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have an appropriate ‘Prevent’ duty policy and procedure in place which provides clear guidance to staff and apprentices on how to report potential concerns. They have implemented a ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment and action plan, but rightly recognise that further work is needed to develop this.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have a useful safeguarding policy in place. They are aware that they need to update it to include reference to aspects such as how to respond to allegations against members of staff.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers implement appropriate safe recruitment practices to ensure that trainers are suitable to work with apprentices who are under 19 years of age. Monitoring visit: Essity UK Limited, 12–13 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 children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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

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