Nordic Products and Services

Nordic Products and Services Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Sarah Lonsdale, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Church Road Stockton-on-Tees TS18 2HN Monitoring visit: Nordic Products and Services, 18 and 19 July 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

Nordic Products and Services has had an adult learning contract from Tees Valley Mayoral Combined Authority since 2023. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 16 learners on Skills Bootcamp programmes in welding. Programmes are designed in partnership with employers across the Tees Valley region to address regional recruitment challenges and skills gaps in the engineering sector.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have successfully designed Skills Bootcamps for adults, many of whom are unemployed, to enable them to become part of the welding workforce across Tees Valley. They are unwavering in their determination to ensure that employers provide high-quality jobs for the learners they recruit.

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Significant progress

Leaders make a significant contribution to national and regional strategic priorities. They work closely with a global employer, implementing a large project in the renewable energies sector supporting area regeneration. Leaders have carefully designed a programme to address recruitment challenges and to develop future talent by supporting learners from the local community to gain sustainable careers in the engineering sector.

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Significant progress

Leaders recruit highly skilled industry experts for management and teaching roles. They carefully consider the right people to lead and manage their organisation. Leaders have recently invested significant time to ensure new managers understand the vision and ethos of the organisation before taking up their posts. Leaders have effective governance arrangements in place to oversee the continuous improvement of the provision.

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Significant progress

Trainers are highly skilled experts who work closely with employers to understand and address industry skills needs. They receive effective training to develop their industry knowledge. For example, managers identified a need to teach learners how Monitoring visit: Nordic Products and Services, 18 and 19 July 2024 to weld with a restricted view. Trainers develop their skills in welding using a mirror to view the product and then use their expertise to design and accredit a training course. As a result, learners develop unique skills needed by employers and are taught how to weld effectively with a restricted view.

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Significant progress

Trainers and employer representatives create a secure culture of learning where learners are safe to practise their skills and refine their engineering expertise. Learners develop significant technical welding knowledge and are well prepared for assessment and validation of their skills. As a result, learners gain industry- recognised accreditation to enable them to successfully enter work after completing the programme.

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Significant progress

Leaders realise an ambitious intent to provide welding Skills Bootcamps that enable learners to develop skills and knowledge for a career in engineering. They ensure that on completion of the Skills Bootcamp learners continue their training as a temporary employee on a global offshore wind turbine development. All learners have the potential for permanent employment after receiving accreditation.

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Significant progress

Trainers deliver a well-structured Skills Bootcamp that quickly develops learners’ skills and prepares them for current jobs. Trainers plan topics effectively to enable learners to develop more complex welding skills over the duration of the course. Learners make rapid progress in developing welding skills, moving from creating straight weld lines to more complex work, culminating in pillar joints.

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Significant progress

Trainers support learners well in the workshop, providing effective guidance, support and clear instruction. They successfully break down tasks into small steps to enable learners to understand what they need to do. Trainers provide helpful feedback to learners on how to improve the quality of their welding joints. They provide appropriate extension activities for learners, where needed, including producing more advanced work such as creating fillet gauges that they will need to be able to do at work.

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Significant progress

Trainers help learners develop their technical knowledge through training on additional topics linked to the skills that employers require. For example, trainers deliver sessions on working with abrasive wheels, one of the most hazardous pieces of equipment learners will use. They provide effective tuition and use good-quality resources so that learners know how to operate this equipment safely and effectively.

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Significant progress

Trainers place an important emphasis on promoting professional behaviours such as adhering to strict health and safety practice and good timekeeping. Learners work in Monitoring visit: Nordic Products and Services, 18 and 19 July 2024 a professional and well-managed environment that reflects best practice in the sector. They are highly motivated to achieve and driven by the possibility of a secure and well-paid future career as a welder in the wind turbine industry.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place to identify vulnerable adult learners. Safeguarding staff have considered the `Prevent’ duty and local risks such as right-wing extremism and identify carefully what puts an adult at risk of being radicalised. However, actions to monitor threats posed by radicalisation and extremism are not precise enough to identify risks that relate specifically to the engineering sector.

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Reasonable progress

Learners feel safe and know who to contact about safeguarding concerns. They receive information about safeguarding and risks such as radicalisation and extremism at induction. However, only a few learners can recall this information or understand how this is relevant to them in the areas they live and work. Monitoring visit: Nordic Products and Services, 18 and 19 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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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