Made Tech Limited

Made Tech Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Montserrat Pérez-Parent, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 January 2025

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 4 O’Meara Street London SE1 1TE Monitoring visit: Made Tech Limited, 15 and 16 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 apprenticeship training provision funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and/or the apprenticeship levy. 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

Made Tech Limited is a provider of digital, data and technology services to the UK public sector with offices in London, Manchester, Bristol, and Swansea. Leaders were part of the trailblazer group that developed the level 4 DevOps engineer standard.

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Context and focus of visit

Leaders gained a contract to deliver apprenticeships in July 2023. They started offering the level 4 DevOps engineer apprenticeship to their own employees in February 2024. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were fewer than five apprentices enrolled. All apprentices are over 18 and work at the Made Tech London office.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have extensive experience providing training and development to their employees. They drew on this knowledge and expertise to develop the DevOps engineer apprenticeship for those joining the company without prior experience in the information technology sector.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers worked well with specialists from different Made Tech departments to develop an effective curriculum relevant to the needs of the company and its clients. This includes training apprentices to be capable consultants who can work with a variety of clients. For example, apprentices learn how to communicate effectively with clients to understand what they need and to liaise with others working on the same project. Apprentices quickly add value to the organisation. For example, leaders can start billing clients for apprentices’ work a few months into their training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders make sure they select the right candidates for the apprenticeship. They check thoroughly what candidates already know and can do through a coding Monitoring visit: Made Tech Limited, 15 and 16 January 2025 challenge. Coaches frequently review apprentices’ progress with their line managers to make sure apprentices develop the relevant skills, knowledge, and behaviours to be successful engineers and consultants. All apprentices who started the apprenticeship remain in training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders make apprentices aware of the requirements of their final assessments from the start of their training. Apprentices know how to work towards the grades they aspire to achieve.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers collect frequent feedback from apprentices and line managers and review the quality of their training as part of their quality improvement processes. As a result, leaders are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their training. Leaders have recently started to report on the performance of the apprenticeship to members of Made Tech’s leadership and executive teams. Leaders acknowledge that they would benefit from external scrutiny in addition to this internal challenge.

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Significant progress

From the start of the course, trainers teach apprentices substantive new knowledge and techniques such as test-driven development. Throughout the course, apprentices quickly build on this knowledge and learn different tools and approaches such as running stand-up and retrospective meetings. Apprentices develop the knowledge and skills to, for example, confidently make amendments to clients’ websites.

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Significant progress

Trainers structure the curriculum very well. Highly knowledgeable staff teach apprentices different aspects of the course. Back-end development specialists teach about databases, and lead engineers teach sessions on software development. Apprentices gain a solid grounding in fundamental technical knowledge and skills before working with clients on delivery teams. Coaches discuss with apprentices and their line managers the upcoming training and assessments. As a result, line managers plan suitable activities for apprentices to apply what they learn.

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Significant progress

Coaches and apprentices meet weekly to check apprentices’ progress with their assessments, correct any misconceptions and help them stay on track. Apprentices, coaches, line managers and delivery managers meet frequently to reflect on the work apprentices have completed and set specific targets for apprentices to work on any areas for improvement. Apprentices and their managers are clear about what apprentices need to do and how to improve. Leaders set useful milestones to measure progress that coaches follow closely. As a result, apprentices are at the expected stage in their course.

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Significant progress

Coaches give apprentices useful and guiding feedback in weekly meetings to see how they are getting on with assignments. They make sure, for example, that Monitoring visit: Made Tech Limited, 15 and 16 January 2025 apprentices understand the date and time function in relational databases. As a result of the guidance they receive, apprentices understand the properties of the tools they work with and improve their work over time.

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Significant progress

Apprentices work professionally as part of their workplace team. They follow the protocols for working collaboratively, such as making sure they do not overwrite each other’s work. They apply structured testing on changes to the interface of webpages fluently.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe in their work and study. They learn to keep themselves safe from risks such as burnout or stress through psychological safety training. They know how to identify if someone may be being radicalised. They know who to contact if they have any safeguarding concerns.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have not fully completed their ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment. They have identified risks around access to extremist content, misuse of communication platforms and workplace culture and the control measures they have in place. Leaders have not considered local or national risks, external speakers or set up links with external agencies. Monitoring visit: Made Tech Limited, 15 and 16 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

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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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