First for Apprenticeships Limited

First for Apprenticeships Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2025

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Bizspace Amber Court Newcastle Business Park Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7YW Monitoring visit: First for Apprenticeships Limited, 20 and 21 February 2025

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Context and focus of visit

First for Apprenticeships Limited was inspected in June 2024. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

First for Apprenticeships Limited offers the level 2 lead traffic management operative apprenticeship. At the time of the visit, there were 186 apprentices on programme. Training is delivered in the workplace, and apprentices work across the country.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers provide apprentices with a highly effective personal development curriculum. Tutors cover important topics such as equality and diversity, safeguarding, radicalisation, extremism and British values. Apprentices gain a good understanding of these issues and apply them in their work. For example, they know they need to plan carefully for wheelchair access when they are putting traffic barriers in place.

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Significant progress

Tutors skilfully support apprentices to understand the risks related to misuse of alcohol and drugs. They teach apprentices about the rate at which alcohol is metabolised. Apprentices understand that they may fail alcohol tests at work on Monday morning if they have consumed alcohol over the weekend. They have a detailed understanding of the importance of safety at work and of acting professionally in the interests of public safety and their employers’ reputations.

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Significant progress

Managers and tutors are very aware that the suicide rate among men in construction is high. Tutors support apprentices very effectively in managing their mental health, such as using ‘blue Monday’ to encourage apprentices to talk about sensitive topics. Tutors deliver successful sessions to tackle some of the mental and physical challenges that apprentices may encounter at work. For example, apprentices may be first on scene at distressing incidents such as road traffic collisions. Apprentices value this training and support and know how to get further help should they need it. Monitoring visit: First for Apprenticeships Limited, 20 and 21 February 2025 Tutors and employers ensure that apprentices receive helpful careers advice and guidance to prepare them for their next steps, such as progressing to working in high-speed environments or management roles. Apprentices are ambitious and clearly understand the further knowledge they will need to develop, such as

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Significant progress

legislation and risk management, to progress to senior roles.

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Significant progress

Tutors have improved their knowledge and understanding of assessment practice and apply this understanding successfully in their teaching. They use recap activities well at the start of lessons to check what apprentices can remember. Tutors use insightful questioning to check apprentices’ knowledge when conducting practical tasks such as vehicle safety checks.

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Significant progress

Tutors assess the progress that apprentices make precisely and accurately. They identify the knowledge and skills apprentices have mastered and carefully plan what they need to do next. For example, tutors accurately assess apprentices’ understanding of the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) legislation. They set research tasks for apprentices to identify the substances they use in their vehicles. Apprentices quickly improve their knowledge and can accurately identify different oils and fluids under the bonnet covered by COSHH.

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Significant progress

Tutors provide very helpful verbal feedback to apprentices during reviews and frequently speak to apprentices to give feedback between sessions. They successfully link knowledge to tasks that apprentices need to perform at work, such as conducting solo vehicle checks. Apprentices highly value tutors’ feedback because it helps them to reinforce their knowledge and practise their skills in the workplace.

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Significant progress

Apprentices improve their skills, confidence and understanding. They perform well in managing temporary traffic lights and lane closures, making appropriate decisions and working well as team members. Their contributions improve site efficiency and morale and prepare them well for taking on further responsibilities. Employers highly value apprentices’ newly developed knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have a highly successful approach to improving tutors’ teaching skills through teaching qualifications and targeted in-house training. Leaders have meaningful relationships with local providers to allow managers and staff to shadow other teachers and learn from their practice. Managers have delivered successful workshops to support tutors in, for example, how to teach Monitoring visit: First for Apprenticeships Limited, 20 and 21 February 2025 complex topics. Tutors use this training effectively to plan work-based scenarios that make the curriculum more memorable. Apprentices value their tutors’ expertise. They enjoy their sessions and confidently apply what they have learned to increasingly unfamiliar circumstances at work.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have effective oversight of the quality of education. They conduct thorough reviews of teaching that carefully identify what tutors do well in sessions. Managers use the findings to set clear targets for development and plan meaningful opportunities for tutors to improve their practice through peer observation. Tutors successfully develop their skills and have a clear understanding of what they need to improve further.

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Significant progress

Tutors use their skills to explain complex matters clearly so apprentices, including those who speak English as an additional language, understand the curriculum. For example, tutors facilitate meaningful classroom discussions to ensure apprentices learn how to assess and mitigate risks properly. They demonstrate this through a range of scenarios to help apprentices learn more about managing risks in different and unpredictable environments.

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Significant progress

Managers and tutors have redesigned the curriculum very effectively, so apprentices have significant opportunities to put the knowledge and skills they learn into practice at work. For example, when apprentices have learned about the timings of two-way traffic lights, they then spend a week with an experienced crew operating these lights. This enables them to develop their expertise successfully.

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Significant progress

Tutors plan off-the-job training very successfully with employers. They discuss apprentices’ areas for development and work with employers to organise opportunities for apprentices to improve their skills in these areas. Apprentices who struggle to identify faults accurately are given exercises by their employer to conduct solo vehicle checks on vehicles with known faults. Tutors and employers then plan the next on-site training session to include vehicle checks to assess apprentices’ understanding of what they need to do and their ability to identify faults correctly.

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Significant progress

Tutors successfully teach apprentices the theoretical components of the course. They explain important legislation related to health and safety, such as manual handling and load weight calculations. Apprentices develop an in-depth understanding of how to keep themselves and others, including members of the public, safe. Employers are pleased apprentices demonstrate an understanding of why they need to perform certain tasks, which ensures they do things properly. They are rightly proud of the professionalism of apprentices and their confidence to challenge safety at work by asking questions when things do not seem right. Monitoring visit: First for Apprenticeships Limited, 20 and 21 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

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Significant progress

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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