Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce Industry

Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce Industry and Shipping Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Chloe Rendall, His Majesty's Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

34-38 Beverley Road Hull HU3 1YE Monitoring visit: Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce Shipping and Industry, 21 and 22 May 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

Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce Industry and Shipping is an independent learning provider that currently provides one skills bootcamp in import and export. This is offered regionally through a fully remote curriculum. At the time of the visit, there were 10 learners on the skills bootcamp. All learners are aged 19 or over and are either currently employed or seeking employment in the international trade sector in the United Kingdom.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed the import and export skills bootcamp in response to workforce skills gaps that have been identified by the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership through engagement with employers. Following Brexit, employers have raised concerns that they are insufficiently equipped to manage the significant changes to import and export policy. Leaders have responded to this concern by carefully using skills bootcamp funding to fill essential skills gaps so that employers can confidently and accurately manage export documentation. This ensures that their businesses are compliant with United Kingdom, European Union and international customs regulations.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit trainers who are experts in international trade and who have a secure understanding of the current import and export sector. Most trainers hold relevant teaching qualifications and deliver training that enables learners to develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that employers are fully aware of the purpose and intended outcomes of the skills bootcamp. Employers understand their commitments in providing opportunities for employees to apply what they learn through new roles, experiences and promotions. As a result, learners benefit from increased responsibility and wider employment opportunities in their workplaces. Unemployed Monitoring visit: Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce Shipping and Industry, 21 and 22 May 2024 learners who participate in the skills bootcamp benefit from a guaranteed interview that provides them with an opportunity to gain employment in import and export.

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Reasonable progress

Those responsible for assuring the quality of training have a well-developed understanding of the provision. For example, leaders at Hull City Council, who work with the Chamber to deliver the import and export skills bootcamp, meet monthly with managers to monitor delivery and scrutinise the progress that learners make. As a result, leaders and managers are held accountable for ensuring that learners make at least the expected progress from their starting points.

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Reasonable progress

Learners benefit from online training that is logically sequenced and implemented. Trainers teach the fundamental elements of import and export, such as incoterms and commodity codes, which learners later use to complete export documentation with accuracy, so that it is customs compliant.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers ensure that online training engages learners effectively. They carefully weave in scenarios that help learners to understand how to implement new procedures that address challenges in their organisations relating to the export process. For example, learners use case studies to understand why certain shipping codes used for export may place their business at a disadvantage through, for example, incorrect charging of value added tax.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers take time to understand learners' starting points based on their prior knowledge and experience. They then plan learning content into sessions that is contextualised to learners’ specific needs and those of their employers. They take account of the fact that learners work in a variety of industries, each of which has its own complex requirements and restrictions, such as exporting perishable or dangerous goods. Trainers plan curriculum content into sessions that covers these industries, which helps learner to understand how to meet their employers’ future needs.

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Reasonable progress

Most trainers use different methods of assessment well to identify what learners can do at the end of their training. They set practical tasks that test learners' ability to apply their knowledge accurately which are completed online in sessions. For example, learners' review the information on customs declaration forms and identify and fix errors in coding, such as the gross mass and index values. However, in a few instances, trainers do not provide learners with explicit feedback that tells them precisely what they need to do to be more accurate in their assessments. Monitoring visit: Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce Shipping and Industry, 21 and 22 May 2024

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Reasonable progress

Leaders take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. They have in place suitable policies and procedures, including a relevant e-learning policy, a ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment and an accompanying action plan, that help staff to know how to report safeguarding concerns. The designated safeguarding lead holds safeguarding qualifications at level 3 and undertakes refresher training annually.

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Reasonable progress

Learners feel safe online and are confident that they know who to contact should they have a safeguarding concern. However, a few learners do not recognise how they could be more susceptible to cyber risks such as phishing scams. Leaders rightly recognise the need to contemporise information and training relating to radicalisation and extremism so that learners understand how current issues may affect them in the import and export sector. Monitoring visit: Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce Shipping and Industry, 21 and 22 May 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

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Reasonable progress

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

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