Dulson Training Limited

Dulson Training Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Sharon Dowling, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 February 2025

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Unit 1 Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury SY4 4QU Monitoring visit: Dulson Training 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

Dulson Training Limited is an independent training provider in Shropshire. It has a national contract to teach Skills Bootcamps, specialising in heavy goods vehicle (HGV) training. Learners are based in Shropshire, Cheshire, the West Midlands and the North West.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the visit, there were 557 learners. Of these, 165 learners were on car to category C (class 2) training, 159 were on car to category C and E (class 1) training, 60 were on HGV to ADR international carriage of dangerous goods by road training, and 173 were on category C (class 2) upgrade to category C and E (class 1) training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have implemented a curriculum that provides training in response to the national shortage of HGV drivers. It also supports employers in upskilling their staff to drive vehicles including HGVs and transporting hazardous goods.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have designed Skills Bootcamps that offer opportunities for learners who are new to the sector and for those already working in logistics who want to develop their skills to meet employers’ needs and/or increase their earning potential.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders track learners’ progress based on recruitment and completion. They do not always have a clear understanding of learners who are making slow progress and the interventions that they need to have put in place to help them to achieve.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders know most of their key strengths and areas for improvement. However, leaders are not aware of wider areas for development, such as tracking and identifying learners who make slow progress. Monitoring visit: Dulson Training Limited, 19 and 20 February 2025 Trainers are highly skilled. Managers complete frequent observations and reviews of trainers’ teaching and technical skills. They support trainers to undertake relevant sector training to ensure they remain current in the logistics sector and improve their teaching skills.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have worked with suitably experienced external advisers who have used their expertise to support the Skills Bootcamp setup, the infrastructure, funding returns, enrolment, and, more recently, the quality of teaching and learning. Consequently, external advisers’ understanding of the areas for development, and the strengths of leaders, enables them to provide helpful support to put in place improvements.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers are experts in the logistics sector. They use their industry experiences well to contextualise and highlight key concepts for learners. For example, what actions drivers should take if there is a fire in transit, what information to give the emergency services and how they can provide their location using the junction number and direction of travel on motorways.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers use effective teaching strategies to help learners develop new knowledge and skills. They use questioning effectively to assess learners’ competence, such as interpreting road signs in the context of HGV size and weight on the road and making decisions based on the road and conditions.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers provide learners with frequent and helpful feedback, which helps learners to understand their progress and what they need to do to improve, for example how to improve their positioning of the vehicle when approaching junctions to avoid hitting kerbs.

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Reasonable progress

Learners are developing significant new knowledge, skills, and behaviours. In addition to driver training to gain the licence, trainers put a strong focus on the challenges of driving HGVs and the impact of not driving them correctly. For example, being aware of cyclists when conducting manoeuvres.

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Reasonable progress

Coordinators capture information about learners who have additional learning needs. They arrange extra support for learners, including face-to-face lessons and reader technology for online learning. However, coordinators do not routinely give this information to trainers, so trainers are often not aware if learners need support.

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Reasonable progress

While learners complete an assessment of their skills and abilities at the start of their course, coordinators do not pass this information to trainers. Consequently, trainers Monitoring visit: Dulson Training Limited, 19 and 20 February 2025 are unable to plan training that covers the specific skills gaps that learners may have. This often means that trainers do not teach learners the English and mathematical skills they do not yet know, but need to complete their course.

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Reasonable progress

Very few learners leave the course early. Learners who complete all of their training gain their HGV licence. Most learners move on into employment or use their new skills in their current roles.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have an appropriately trained safeguarding team. They have suitable processes in place and know how to act on and record safeguarding referrals. They have a range of safeguarding and behaviour policies for adult learners and an appropriate ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment that they review annually.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers develop learners’ understanding of safeguarding topics relevant to HGV driving. For example, they train them to check their vehicles for illegal drugs and that they are not being used for human trafficking. However, learners have limited recall of the wider risks associated with radicalisation, extremism and safeguarding. Monitoring visit: Dulson Training 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

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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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