Clancy Group Holdings Limited

Clancy Group Holdings Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Sue Hasty, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Address:

Clare House Coppermill Lane Harefield Uxbridge Middlesex UB9 6HZ Monitoring visit: Clancy Group Holdings Limited, 8 and 9 January 2025

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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

Clancy Group Holdings Limited (The Clancy Group) is an employer provider teaching Skills Bootcamps that prepare adult learners to work in the utilities sector. They have held a contract since December 2023. The first course started in February 2024.

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Context and focus of visit

The Clancy Group’s head office is in Uxbridge, Middlesex. They use two main sites in Rochester and Northampton for teaching. At the time of the visit, there were 30 learners in learning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear rationale for offering Skills Bootcamps. They identified very effectively the need to expand their workforce to meet the job vacancies created by the growth in the construction sector.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work with learners who mostly do not have any formal qualifications and who work in unskilled occupations. Leaders aspire to broaden learners’ opportunities and support them onto well-paid career paths. Learners appreciate highly the financial and emotional stability they gain when they successfully complete bootcamp training and secure permanent employment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have made sure that they have trainers in place with relevant vocational knowledge and experience. They have identified accurately that they do not have teaching staff with appropriate expertise to teach topics, such as digital skills and knowledge of English and mathematics.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders expect and support trainers accordingly to undertake appropriate teacher training qualifications. They also observe trainers’ teaching practice. Leaders’ feedback to trainers does not consistently give sufficient information to explain how trainers can improve their teaching skills. Monitoring visit: Clancy Group Holdings Limited, 8 and 9 January 2025 Learners have access to specialist plant equipment, where they can practise new skills before taking their tests. For example, trainers supervise learners using robots, diggers and dumper trucks.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed useful but limited partnerships with organisations to recruit learners. They work closely with an agency that specialises in finding work for people in the construction industry. Leaders are in the initial stages of making links with Jobcentre Plus and the prison service. Few learners who attend bootcamp training are unemployed.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders collect useful information about learners’ next steps. They keep track of who attends training and takes the tests. Leaders present this information to an internal board of executive team members. Leaders have not yet evaluated the impact of the Skills Bootcamp training. They do not have a clear overview of the progress learners make across different cohorts.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers have planned courses that teach learners the essential skills and knowledge needed to achieve the certificates necessary for working in roles, such as plant and machine operatives. While this is highly valuable, trainers do not plan effectively to develop learners’ skills and knowledge beyond the requirements of the test.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers build strong working relationships with learners throughout the course. They give learners extensive one-to-one support during and after the course. Learners find this guidance particularly helpful before taking tests.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers identify learners’ prior vocational knowledge and skills through discussions at the start of the course. They do not use this information consistently to plan learners’ training. A small proportion of learners who have a higher level of skills and knowledge repeat content they already know.

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Reasonable progress

Learners value trainers’ industrial knowledge. Trainers describe effectively examples and scenarios from their own work experience to explain complex topics. This enables learners to put the theory into context and apply quickly their new knowledge at work. Trainers reinforce new vocabulary frequently so that learners rapidly familiarise themselves with technical language.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers make sure that learners have opportunities to practise English and mathematics during lessons. Trainers teach learners how to estimate and calculate volumes, which they link to learners’ practical work on construction sites. A few Monitoring visit: Clancy Group Holdings Limited, 8 and 9 January 2025 learners develop communication skills by giving presentations to the rest of the group. Trainers supportively correct errors and misunderstandings when learners carry out practical tasks. More experienced learners often help their peers with handling new equipment, such as using a cable avoidance tool and a signal generator to find underground pipes and cables.

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Reasonable progress

Most learners achieve their qualifications. A few learners gain promotion and receive a salary increase soon after completing the course.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have created an appropriate safeguarding culture. There is a suitably trained and experienced safeguarding officer in place. They lead a team of staff who provide a wealth of support and advice to learners about improving their mental health and well-being.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers place a high priority on teaching learners about health and safety in the workplace. Learners who are site supervisors understand effectively their responsibilities for keeping their teams safe when they work on construction sites.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers teach learners how to keep themselves and others safe from the risks of extremism and radicalisation at induction. Learners struggle to recall what they learn about these topics. Monitoring visit: Clancy Group Holdings Limited, 8 and 9 January 2025 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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Reasonable progress

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

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