Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)

CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider.

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Name of lead inspector: Maggie Fobister, Ofsted Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Bircham Newton King’s Lynn Norfolk PE31 6RH Monitoring visit: CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), 19 to 20 June 2024

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Context and focus of visit

CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) was inspected in March 2023. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is an independent learning provider based in the East of England. The head office is in Peterborough, with training centres in Erith and Bircham Newton. CITB offers apprenticeships and specialist training for the construction industry across the country.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the visit, there were 412 apprentices in learning. Of those, 340 were studying at level 2 and the remainder at level 3. Around half were under the age of 19. The provider had 198 apprentices on the level 2 scaffolder, 35 on the level 2 land-based service engineer, 29 on the level 2 groundworker and 72 on the level 3 land-based service engineering technician. Most of the remaining apprentices are studying at level 2 on the lightning protection operative, the construction plant operative, the lifting technician or the interior systems installer.

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Context and focus of visit

The provider does not work with any subcontractors.

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Significant progress

Historically, CITB has subcontracted a significant proportion of its apprenticeships. At the previous inspection, senior leaders had already made a strategic decision to stop working with subcontractors. Leaders were committed to supporting the significant proportion of apprentices who were in learning with subcontractors, and had fallen behind with their studies, to catch up and complete their apprenticeship.

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Significant progress

Since the previous inspection, the members of the newly formed leadership team have worked highly effectively with apprentices and subcontractors to re-engage apprentices with their studies. Leaders have clearly identified the actions needed to improve the quality of education for these apprentices. They have adopted a forensic approach to monitoring the progress that apprentices make. They hold weekly Monitoring visit: CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), 19 to 20 June 2024 progress monitoring meetings with apprenticeship programme managers that enable them to identify quickly where apprentices need additional support. Apprenticeship development coaches provide apprentices with effective one-to-one support where needed to help them to catch up with their studies.

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Significant progress

Leaders have invested significantly in professional development activities for apprenticeship development coaches to provide them with the vocational and technical knowledge that they need to support apprentices during progress reviews. As a result, apprenticeship development coaches are better able to support apprentices to link theory to practice in the workplace.

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Significant progress

Apprenticeship development coaches work effectively with apprentices and their employers to ensure that apprentices can apply their learning at work to enable them to hone their skills. Consequently, these apprentices made rapid progress with their studies. At the time of the visit, most of these apprentices had successfully completed their apprenticeship.

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Significant progress

Leaders have implemented rigorous quality processes that enable them to make improvements in the quality of education that apprentices receive. Leaders have implemented a marked work policy that has very clear expectations and guidance for trainers to improve trainers’ standards of practice. They have provided staff with effective professional development that has enabled them to provide apprentices with in-depth guidance and support so that apprentices understand what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. In mathematics lessons, trainers provide apprentices with effective feedback on the use of averages, shapes, mean, median and mode when calculating the area of a car park. They outline clearly the need for accuracy when working with measurements. Consequently, apprentices repeat the activity with more accuracy.

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Significant progress

Trainers mark apprentices’ work quickly. Apprentices value highly the helpful feedback that they receive. They promptly use the guidance that trainers provide to rewrite and resubmit their written work. Apprentices understand the need to add more detail about components in engines, for example, and how compression rings are utilised to seal engine chambers to prevent gas from escaping. As a result, the standard of apprentices’ written work improves significantly over time.

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Significant progress

Trainers and apprenticeship development coaches use their up-to-date knowledge of industry innovation and change effectively in their teaching. They have adapted the curriculum to provide apprentices with highly effective preparation for their final Monitoring visit: CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), 19 to 20 June 2024 assessments. As a result, apprentices are well prepared for their end-point assessments and most apprentices successfully complete their apprenticeship. Leaders rightly recognise that they have more work to do to improve achievement for a few apprentices on level 3 programmes.

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Significant progress

Leaders have implemented significant improvements to support the development of apprentices’ English and mathematical skills. Leaders have adapted the curriculum so that apprentices attend English and mathematics lessons from the start of their programme. Almost all apprentices work towards English and mathematics qualifications at level 2, making the curriculum suitably ambitious.

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Significant progress

Leaders have strengthened the English and mathematics training team so that apprentices benefit from small group sessions with specialist trainers who provide them with individualised support. Trainers identify apprentices’ starting points clearly. Trainers use assessment highly effectively to identify apprentices’ individual gaps in their skills and plan teaching that helps them to fill these gaps successfully. Specialist trainers provide apprentices with meaningful lessons that help them to develop their English and mathematical skills within the context of construction.

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Significant progress

Leaders have invested in staff development so that vocational trainers are better able to support apprentices in vocational lessons to develop their English and mathematics skills. Specialist trainers work closely with vocational trainers to design active lessons that enable apprentices to apply their English and mathematics skills in learning activities. Apprentices calculate area when learning about resurfacing roads and the materials required to satisfy the optimum percentage overlap. As a result, apprentices can apply their mathematics skills confidently in the workplace.

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Significant progress

Trainers provide apprentices with helpful feedback on their written English skills. For example, they ensure that apprentices are clear about the grammatical errors that they make and how to correct these errors. As a result of leaders’ actions, the standard of apprentices’ written English skills improves significantly over time. Leaders rightly recognise that they have more work to do to improve achievement rates further, particularly in level 2 mathematics.

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Reasonable progress

Monitoring visit: CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), 19 to 20 June 2024 Leaders have improved the quality of the careers advice and guidance that apprentices receive. They have recruited a careers specialist who provides apprentices with one-to-one sessions when requested.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently adapted the curriculum to include careers sessions that apprentices attend at the start, mid-point and end of their programme. These sessions cover topics such as the importance of online presence and effective job searching. However, leaders and managers do not provide apprentices with sufficient information on the career pathways available to them early enough in their programme so that apprentices are clear about their progression routes and the steps they need to take to achieve them. Apprentices are not always clear enough about the route to higher level roles within the construction industry, such as leadership roles or how they may use the transferable skills that they gain.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide apprentices with access to careers information and networking opportunities within the construction industry through the Association of Apprenticeships website and access to live specialist webinars that apprentices can join remotely on topics such as personal branding. However, apprentices often do not access this information. Monitoring visit: CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), 19 to 20 June 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 looked after children, safeguarding

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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