Skills Fix Limited

Skills Fix Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection dates: 19 and 20 February 2025

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: No 2 Courtyard Suite Clawthorpe Hall Business Park Burton-in-Kendal LA6 1NU Monitoring visit: Skills Fix Limited, 19 and 20 February 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

Skills Fix Limited is an independent learning provider based in Cumbria. It began offering Skills Bootcamps in May 2023. At the time of the monitoring visit, 10 learners were studying the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) Skills Bootcamp. Seven learners were studying the leadership and development Skills Bootcamp.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have worked closely with Cumberland Council, employers and partners to plan and develop the NEBOSH and leadership and development Skills Bootcamps. The courses have been designed to reduce skills shortages in occupational health and safety and leadership roles across Cumbria. Learners on the NEBOSH Skills Bootcamp take on extra responsibility for occupational health and safety in the workplace, become self-employed or find employment. The leadership and development Skills Bootcamp helps employers to plan for leadership progression within their organisations.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders monitor learners’ attendance and progress closely. All NEBOSH Skills Bootcamp learners complete their course and most achieve the qualification on their first attempt. Those who are not successful are encouraged to retake their examinations, with almost all achieving the qualification on the second attempt. The leadership and development Skills Bootcamp was very recently introduced. All leadership and development learners remain on their Skills Bootcamp.

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Reasonable progress

As a very small team, leaders and tutors meet frequently to informally discuss the quality of the training they provide. Leaders rightly recognise the need for a formal approach to quality assurance processes. Leaders acknowledge the need to make sure that they accurately identify the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and implement specific actions to improve the quality of training that learners receive. Monitoring visit: Skills Fix Limited, 19 and 20 February 2025 Leaders rightly recognise that governance arrangements are in their infancy. Leaders are currently recruiting governors to provide external oversight of the quality of training that learners receive. Leaders intend to appoint governors with experience of occupational health and safety, and training programmes for adult learners. However, formal governance arrangements are yet to be implemented.

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Reasonable progress

The learning environment is calm and orderly, and learners feel comfortable to ask questions and share their experiences. Learners quickly become part of the group and are happy to share resources, such as examples of risk assessments that they use in their workplaces.

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Reasonable progress

The curriculums are organised logically. For example, the NEBOSH Skills Bootcamp strictly follows the requirements of the examination board, which enables learners to quickly develop their knowledge and skills of occupational health and safety. Tutors build learners’ knowledge and skills incrementally and prepare learners well for their examination at the end of the first week of training. In the second week of training, learners develop comprehensive risk assessments using a scenario from the workplace. They then apply this knowledge in their final examinations.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors are well-qualified and experts in their subjects. They have relevant experience and qualifications for teaching NEBOSH and leadership and development Skills Bootcamps. Tutors skilfully use learners’ experiences to contextualise learning and make sure that it is relevant. For example, tutors on NEBOSH Skills Bootcamps use examples of window manufacture and fitting to explore how learners would deal with the handling and disposing of asbestos when removing and fitting new windows in residential properties. This enables learners to apply their learning in a range of contexts from residential properties to commercial settings.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers use a range of teaching strategies to check and consolidate learning. However, in a few instances tutors do not check learning sufficiently. Tutors’ questions are sometimes too broad or do not require a specific response. This means that learners’ misconceptions are not always identified quickly enough.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have appropriate policies and processes in place to keep learners safe. No safeguarding incidents or concerns have been reported, which means that safeguarding processes and systems remain untested. Monitoring visit: Skills Fix Limited, 19 and 20 February 2025 Leaders and tutors receive training and updates in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. The designated safeguarding lead is well qualified for their role.

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Reasonable progress

Learners say that they feel safe. They now benefit from the very recently implemented training in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. However, learners receive this training very late in their Skills Bootcamp. Monitoring visit: Skills Fix Limited, 19 and 20 February 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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