YTKO Limited

Unique reference number: 2748184 Name of lead inspector: Nick Crombie, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection dates: 23 and 24 January 2024

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Unit 1.6 First floor Temple Studios Temple Gate Bristol BS1 6QA Monitoring visit: YTKO Limited, 23 and 24 January 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning provision where the provision offered is in scope for inspection. 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

During our monitoring visit, YTKO Limited was running two Skills Bootcamps for adults. One was in digital marketing with 20 learners and the other in digital business skills with 19 learners. Bootcamps run over eight successive weeks, with one four- hour taught session each week. Programmes are mostly taught online but include some face-to-face contact. YTKO offers three other Skills Bootcamp programmes, which were not running at the time of our visit. These are in organisational sustainability, leadership and management and modern methods of construction.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a very clear vision for the bootcamps they provide for adult learners. In developing bootcamp course content and structure, leaders draw heavily on their long-standing and extensive knowledge gained from working with and providing practical training courses for the self-employed, unemployed, sole traders, and micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses in the west of England. Leaders have carefully focused their bootcamp courses on providing these groups with specialist, knowledge-rich programmes, particularly in digital skills, which foster business growth, development and profitability. Leaders’ course design and development process takes the economic priorities of regional development agencies closely into account.

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Reasonable progress

For example, the digital marketing and business Skills Bootcamps enable learners to develop and implement social media and internet strategies tailored to their specific business environments. Unemployed learners gain the digital skills they need to secure part- or full-time employment. In many cases, this is with employers who were not previously aware how digital skills can be powerful marketing tools for small or very small businesses.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders tailor their bootcamps tightly to specific groups and subjects. For example, the leadership and management bootcamp meets the needs of small companies that Monitoring visit: YTKO Limited, 23 and 24 January 2024 want to learn how to professionalise their business. The construction bootcamp focuses closely on techniques for assembling buildings, parts of which have been created offsite.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have appointed tutors who are very experienced in their sectors. Tutors use their expertise and maintain their current sector knowledge well to ensure that learners are taught current best practice.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders are building an effective course development and review system. They have started to respond to employer and learner feedback and introduced improvements and amendments to the programmes offered. However, leaders’ work to reduce fluctuations in learners’ attendance and ensure the taught content is always relevant to learners’ starting points is at an early stage of development.

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Reasonable progress

The Skills Bootcamps are rich in content and carefully planned to ensure learners build new skills and knowledge logically and progressively. Learners value the substantial volume of information they are taught, and most use it productively. A small minority struggle to apply all the information taught but receive good, individualised support from tutors to catch up.

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Reasonable progress

Before each programme begins, an initial meeting involving the learner, a learning support coach and a tutor is used well to assess each learner’s starting points and any barriers to learning. Consequently, tutors know each learner’s needs well and can track their progress. Leaders, however, do not have a precise overview of this progress, as monitoring systems are not used as effectively as they could be.

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Reasonable progress

Learners start the course knowing what to expect. Most attend well and complete the programme successfully. The great majority of learners are actively involved in their taught sessions. Tutors lead engaging and searching discussions. They answer learners’ questions confidently and accurately. Learners willingly participate in the tasks set. They post and add constructive comments in the online lesson chat room. Learners build a network of useful contacts during their programme.

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Reasonable progress

Learners appreciate how tutors set practical tasks. They can apply these immediately to their business or add to their curriculum vitae. One digital business learner, a self- described ‘technophobe’, learned how to create a website he now uses to sell goods and services. A learner working as a business consultant learned how to help a client implement an email marketing application effectively. A drama teacher’s classes for children now feature more prominently in web browser searches. Monitoring visit: YTKO Limited, 23 and 24 January 2024 Most tutors use naturally occurring opportunities in sessions to further develop learners’ English and mathematics skills. However, they do not routinely correct spelling and grammar in learners’ portfolios. Tutors do not encourage all learners to complete these portfolios, which are designed to be used for reference after completing the course.

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Reasonable progress

YTKO has a well-established culture of safeguarding and promoting learners’ well- being. Leaders have appropriate safeguarding arrangements in place. Staff have received relevant training, including mental health awareness and managing neurodiversity.

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Reasonable progress

The empathetic tutors and learning support staff provide technical and personal support whenever a learner needs it. Learners feel safe and cared for. They readily turn to staff for help during, and in some cases after, the bootcamp training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders are updating their ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment, and relevant training is underway for all staff. Leaders are amending the bootcamp curriculums so learners gain a more detailed understanding of the risks relating to radicalisation and extremism, particularly in online settings. Monitoring visit: YTKO Limited, 23 and 24 January 2024 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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