NTG Training Ltd

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection dates: 12 to 15 December 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Information about this provider

NTG Training Limited (NTG) registered as a training company in 2008. NTG offers apprenticeships in six vocational areas. These are health and social care, business administration, customer service, team leading, digital marketing, and warehousing. NTG currently has 311 apprentices on apprenticeships at levels 2 to 5. Almost all apprentices are adults, with 10 aged between 16 and 18. Approximately one third of apprentices study health and social care apprenticeships, and approximately one third study business administration, customer services, and team leading apprenticeships. The remainder are on digital marketing, textile care, and warehousing apprenticeships. At the time of the inspection, most learning sessions were carried out online. A few learning sessions were face to face for individual apprentices. 12 to 15 December 2023

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

Apprentices have positive attitudes to their learning. They are committed to their apprenticeship and are proud of their achievements. Apprentices are ambitious to use their new knowledge and skills to take on extra responsibilities or gain promotion at work.

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

Apprentices develop their confidence and improve their competence at work. They talk articulately about how the knowledge and skills gained during the apprenticeship have improved their independence and resilience in the workplace.

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

Tutors know their apprentices very well and care about their progress and welfare. They support apprentices effectively and understand the pressures in the workplace. Tutors have a flexible approach to training and plan the timings of training sessions around apprentices’ work and personal commitments.

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

Apprentices feel safe and talk confidently about how tutors and their employers help to keep them safe. For example, customer service apprentices working in estate agencies understand the risks around lone working and high-profile cases of estate agent abductions during home viewings. They closely follow their employers’ policies to keep themselves safe.

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

Apprentices report that, because most training is one to one with their tutor, and is remote or online, they do not meet with any other apprentices to discuss their experiences or to develop their wider personal skills, such as team working or problem-solving, outside of the workplace.

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better?

Leaders have a clear rationale for the apprenticeships they offer. They have identified the regional and national shortages of skilled care workers and digital marketers. Managers have developed ambitious curriculums with employers to reduce skills needs in key shortage areas.

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better?

Following a period of significant turbulence due to most senior leaders leaving the provider, a new senior leadership team was recently formed. Leaders and managers are committed to improving the experiences of apprentices and staff. Leaders have invested significantly in resources to enable greater leadership oversight of the quality of provision. However, these changes are yet to have an impact. Conversely, curriculum managers have effective oversight of the quality of their apprenticeships.

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better?

Senior leaders’ systems to monitor quality assurance and quality improvement are weak. Leaders do not follow their own policies and procedures and do not have effective oversight of the quality of the provision. The processes for self-assessment do not focus well enough on the key strengths and weaknesses of the provision. The quality improvement plan does not relate to the key areas for improvement identified in the self-assessment report. 12 to 15 December 2023

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The apprenticeship curriculums are sequenced appropriately and incrementally develop apprentices’ job-specific knowledge, skills and behaviours. Digital marketing apprentices first learn about branding and auditing the business before moving on to the ‘7Ps’ of marketing and then to relationship marketing, where they learn how to design a marketing strategy for their employer. Apprentices build their knowledge and skills over time and apply their learning proficiently in the workplace.

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Most tutors skilfully plan training sessions based on what apprentices already know and can do. Tutors use the start of sessions to revisit what apprentices have learned in the previous sessions. Most use assessment, such as questioning, effectively to check and consolidate apprentices’ learning and to correct misconceptions.

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Tutors use a range of strategies, such as scenarios and case studies, to extend and check apprentices’ learning. Customer service apprentices discuss scenarios about dealing efficiently, sensitively and confidentially with customer complaints. Business administrator apprentices develop skills in using matrix structures and low/high power and low/high interest stakeholders and how these relate to their organisations. Apprentices develop the skills they need to be successful in employment and to achieve their apprenticeship.

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Most tutors provide apprentices with accurate and constructive feedback following assessments. Apprentices know what they have done well and what they need to do to improve the quality of their work. Tutors identify that customer service apprentices provide limited examples about how they are developing their skills in the workplace. However, a few apprentices do not act on feedback from their tutors, which means that tutors cannot always accurately identify the progress that apprentices make in developing their knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Leaders do not plan careers advice and guidance for apprentices well enough. They rely on tutors to provide apprentices with advice and guidance about their next steps. Tutors do not benefit from training in careers advice and guidance. As a result, apprentices do not receive enough information to make informed decisions about their potential next steps after their apprenticeship.

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The majority of apprentices achieve their apprenticeship. Approximately half of apprentices achieve merit and distinction grades in their final assessments. However, not all apprentices are aware of or are challenged to achieve these grades.

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Those responsible for governance have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They support leaders, who have recently begun to accept their support, to rectify weaknesses, such as helping them to identify key priorities to bring about improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 12 to 15 December 2023

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Improve leaders’ oversight of the quality of provision.  Ensure that apprentices are provided with information on and are challenged to achieve the highest grades in their final assessments.  Ensure tutors receive training on how to provide effective careers advice and guidance to apprentices.  Plan and implement strategies for apprentices to develop their wider personal skills. 12 to 15 December 2023

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Provider details

Address Offices 3&4 The Meadows Church Road Dodleston Chester CH4 9NG

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 20 to 23 July 2021

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 12 to 15 December 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 inspection 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

Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Bruce Humphrey Ofsted Inspector Joe Poole Ofsted Inspector Jaqui Scott Ofsted Inspector Zoe Ibbotson His Majesty’s Inspector 12 to 15 December 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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