North Lancs. Training Group C.I.C.

The North Lancs. Training Group Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Helen Whelan, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Bradshawgate House 1 Oak Street Accrington Lancashire BB5 1EQ Monitoring visit: The North Lancs. Training Group Limited, 3 and 4 July 2024

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Context and focus of visit

The North Lancs. Training Group Limited (NLTG) was inspected in September 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

NLTG is a group training association with its headquarters and a specialist furniture manufacturing centre in Accrington. It has additional training centres in Bury and Oldham

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Context and focus of visit

NLTG offers education programmes for young people and apprenticeships. At the time of the monitoring visit, NLTG had 1,095 apprentices on levels 2 to 5, with most enrolments in the manufacturing, business and hospitality sectors. Most apprentices study at levels 2 and 3, with the largest enrolments on level 2 furniture manufacturer and level 3 business administrator. There are 412 apprentices aged 16 to 18 and 683 aged 19 and above.

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Context and focus of visit

NLTG has just over 100 learners on education programmes for young people. Learners study from entry level to level 2 on functional skills English, mathematics and employability qualifications. All learners undertake external work experience as part of their programme.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have improved how they collect and use information on what learners and apprentices know and can do at the start of their programme. They use this information effectively to meet learners’ and apprentices’ needs and to plan effective curriculums. Prior to enrolment, tutors, apprentices and apprentices’ line managers meet to complete a ‘skills radar’. This involves tutors and line managers supporting apprentices to thoroughly self-assess against the knowledge, skills and behaviours of the apprenticeship they wish to study. Tutors routinely revisit the skills radar Monitoring visit: The North Lancs. Training Group Limited, 3 and 4 July 2024 throughout the apprenticeship to monitor the progress that apprentices make and to ensure that the curriculum continues to meet their needs. On the level 5 operations or departmental manager apprenticeship, leaders have introduced additional processes for apprentices to complete before they enrol.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide a mandatory information session that apprentices and their line managers must attend to ensure that they fully understand their roles and the commitment required for the apprenticeship. In addition, apprentices complete an online academic writing course and an academic assignment. This means that tutors have valuable information about apprentices before they start their training and they use this to plan the curriculum. Managers of education programmes for young people have redesigned the curriculum. They provide an additional three weeks at the start of the course to find out, in detail, what learners know and to identify any barriers to learning. Almost all learners have not recently been in employment, education or training. Tutors find out about their past experiences in education, their personal lives, work experience and skills in English and mathematics. They then provide appropriate qualifications

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Reasonable progress

to meet learners’ needs and help them to successfully prepare for an extended period of work experience before they move on to further education, training or employment.

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Reasonable progress

Immediately following the previous inspection, leaders paused recruitment to the level 5 operations or departmental manager apprenticeship. They swiftly began to redesign the apprenticeship. Leaders and tutors have rewritten workshops and employed two industry specialists with extensive senior leadership experience to teach on the apprenticeship. These specialists have enriched the curriculum by introducing up-to-date business models and talent management tools. These help apprentices to understand how to achieve better outcomes for their organisations. On the level 3 business administration apprenticeship, leaders consulted with employers and, subsequently, added new content to the curriculum such as sustainability. Apprentices now benefit from training in groups rather than on an individual basis. They discuss their projects and share good practice and work experiences across a wide range of sectors.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors effectively plan and coordinate apprentices’ on- and off-the-job training. Most apprentices’ line managers routinely attend their progress reviews. This enables line managers to identify opportunities for apprentices to practise skills at work in line with what they learn in their training. For example, level 5 operations or departmental manager apprentices shadow colleagues in finance to improve their knowledge of budgeting and financial forecasting. However, although tutors set apprentices specific actions, they do not set target dates that are sufficiently demanding to encourage apprentices to make swifter progress. Monitoring visit: The North Lancs. Training Group Limited, 3 and 4 July 2024 Leaders have introduced comprehensive written assignments for level 5 operations or departmental managers. In their assignments, apprentices highlight what they have learned and how they have applied the learning at work. Tutors provide useful

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Reasonable progress

feedback that tells apprentices what they have done well and what they need to do to improve their work. Tutors challenge apprentices to expand their answers to include examples of their practice at work, as well as correcting spelling, punctuation, grammar and referencing errors. Consequently, apprentices improve the standard of their work.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have improved how they provide learners and apprentices with careers information, advice and guidance. At the start of their apprenticeship, tutors find out about apprentices’ professional goals and career aspirations. Tutors monitor apprentices’ progress towards these goals during their reviews and when discussing apprentices’ personal development plans. Most apprentices know what they want to do once they have completed their apprenticeships. They are ambitious to achieve promotion or become self-employed. Tutors who teach education programmes for young people maintain a strong focus on careers education and this is an integral part of the curriculum. At the start of their course, tutors discuss learners’ career aspirations with them and ensure that learners understand the options that are available to them. Learners gain a clear sense of what they want to do and how they can achieve their goals. Many learners

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Reasonable progress

have clear aims to progress to apprenticeships in business, care, information technology or manufacturing. Tutors include valuable careers-related activities in the curriculum so that learners know how to conduct job searches, write CVs and prepare for interviews. Learners find the work experience part of their programme very valuable as it develops the broad employability skills they need. These include maintaining regular attendance, being punctual and working effectively with others. However, not all learners undertake work experience that is linked closely enough to their career goals. Therefore, they do not find out about the more specific aspects of the roles in which they are interested. Leaders provide learners and apprentices with access to impartial careers information, advice and guidance through an online hub. However, leaders recognise that they need to increase learners’ and apprentices’ access to high-

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Reasonable progress

quality impartial careers advice so that they are fully aware of the diverse range of options available to them when they complete their learning. Monitoring visit: The North Lancs. Training Group Limited, 3 and 4 July 2024

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have produced a comprehensive self-assessment report which critically reviews the quality of education and training they provide. They offer an honest appraisal of their provision and recognise the reasons it was judged to require improvement at the previous inspection. Leaders have responded decisively and have compiled a thorough quality improvement plan. This sets out precisely what they need to do to improve. Leaders have strengthened their approach to quality assurance. They use an appropriate range of activities to monitor and improve the quality of provision. They do monthly spot checks and ask learners and apprentices about what they are learning, what they now know and can do and how tutors’ feedback has helped them to improve. Managers conduct lesson observations and provide helpful feedback to tutors on what worked well and what could be even better. They provide practical suggestions about how lessons could be improved. For example,

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Reasonable progress

they suggest that tutors reduce the complexity of texts they use, provide more topic recaps and use more precise questioning to ensure that learners and apprentices are able to grasp key concepts. Tutors undertake a range of relevant training linked to NLTG’s key priority areas. Tutors benefit from training in how to make effective use of the information they capture on apprentices’ existing knowledge and skills. This enables tutors to carry out challenging discussions confidently and effectively with apprentices and their line managers to help apprentices meet their potential. Leaders ensure that tutors benefit from training in providing effective feedback to apprentices. As a result, level 5 operations or departmental manager tutors understand the importance of providing – and strive to provide – developmental feedback to apprentices so that their work quickly improves. Tutors feel very well supported and say that this

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Reasonable progress

training has been instrumental in improving their skills since the previous inspection.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and governors have undertaken a thorough review of governance arrangements. They were keen to ensure that arrangements were fit for purpose and could continue to support their future needs. Leaders and governors appreciate the importance of having a balance of knowledge, skills, experience and independence on the board. They have reviewed the board’s membership and Monitoring visit: The North Lancs. Training Group Limited, 3 and 4 July 2024 continue to provide training and development for members around their mandatory responsibilities and the quality of education and training. Leaders and governors recognise that at the time of the previous inspection, they did not pay enough attention to the quality of education. Leaders and governors now prioritise their discussion and analysis of the quality of education at board meetings. Leaders provide governors with clear and accurate reports that include

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Reasonable progress

an overview of learners’ and apprentices’ attendance, progress and predicted achievement. The information allows governors to readily challenge leaders about the improvements they are making. For example, governors have requested year- on-year achievement rate comparisons so they can evaluate the impact of leaders’ actions on learners’ and apprentices’ achievement. They want to fully understand the reasons why apprentices withdraw or have a break in learning. They also want leaders to inform them about the impact professional development has on tutors’ teaching practice. Governors provide effective support and guidance for leaders. They support leaders to develop robust quality assurance activities, including the use of work scrutiny, to evaluate the progress that learners and apprentices make. They undertake reviews of the curriculum and meet with tutors, learners and apprentices to find out about their experiences in education and training and the impact of leaders’ quality

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Reasonable progress

improvement initiatives. Governors support leaders to continue to invest in the quality of education, for example through providing tutors with professional development and the time to review and improve their curriculums. Monitoring visit: The North Lancs. Training Group Limited, 3 and 4 July 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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