Life Skills Centres Ltd

Life Skills Centres Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Jonny Wright, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 February 2025

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 56 Shoreham Street Sheffield S1 4SP Monitoring visit: Life Skills Centres Limited, 26 and 27 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

Life Skills Centres Limited is an independent learning provider that began delivery of adult learning programmes in 2024. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 20 learners on a Skills Bootcamp preparing them for a range of entry-level roles in broadcasting and live events. The provider is based in Sheffield and all delivery takes place at their centre in the city.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear intent to offer Skills Bootcamps that prepare learners for employment in the broadcasting and live events industry. In collaboration with employers, they have identified skills gaps caused by an ageing workforce and a lack of succession planning. They have worked with local and regionally based employers to design a course to enable learners to gain employment in entry-level roles such as rigging and sound engineering support and as set runners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders employ highly experienced staff who provide expert training. They use trainers and industry specialists to deliver specific parts of the programme. For example, those with a background in security provide training in the ‘Prevent’ duty, and other trainers support learners to develop interview skills and first-aid skills. Industry specialists focus on developing learners’ skills in broadcasting and live events, such as rigging, camera work and editing.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place appropriate processes to assure themselves of the quality of training and assessment. They conduct lesson visits and gather frequent feedback from learners, and use the results of these activities to inform areas for development. Leaders have made improvements to the way the curriculum is sequenced so that learners complete practical skills development earlier in the course. They rightly recognise that they need to make further improvements to trainers’ teaching and assessment practice. Monitoring visit: Life Skills Centres Limited, 26 and 27 February 2025 Most trainers benefit from helpful training to improve their teaching practice. However, leaders do not provide training or support to unqualified trainers from industry to improve their teaching skills.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place a limited amount of external support and scrutiny from another provider on the quality of education that learners receive. Leaders rightly recognise that they need to extend and formalise this support and put in place effective external arrangements to drive improvements as they expand their provision.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide learners with access to a range of industry experts and employers in high-profile companies to help them to develop the skills required to work in the broadcasting and live events industry. Learners appreciate the value that this brings to their training and how it enhances their future opportunities in different sectors of the industry. Learners build useful professional networks with support from the industry experts with whom they work.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders continually review the content of the curriculum to make sure it is suitable and provides learners with the skills that employers need. With support from trainers, learners create high-quality online portfolios of their work and projects they develop as part of the course. Trainers teach learners about fundamental aspects of the industry, including health and safety and the risks that they and the public may face in the industry. Learners gain qualifications in first aid.

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Reasonable progress

Learners produce practical work of an appropriate standard and gain confidence as they develop their skills, for example in planning for video shoots, carrying out camera work and editing materials. Specialist trainers provide helpful support and feedback to help learners to improve their practical skills. However, trainers do not provide sufficiently helpful feedback to learners on the quality of their written work, which is often of too low a standard.

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Reasonable progress

Staff provide helpful careers guidance to learners throughout the course. Learners benefit from guaranteed interviews with employers who specialise in setting up large sporting and music events. Broadcasting industry specialists recommend learners for roles that meet their specific skills and interests, such as video editing and camera work. A few learners have set up their own production companies, and staff have supported them with helpful information, such as meeting the legal requirements for self-employment. Most learners in the first Skills Bootcamp cohort gained employment in the broadcasting and live events industry as a result of their course. Monitoring visit: Life Skills Centres Limited, 26 and 27 February 2025

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place appropriate policies and procedures to keep adult learners safe, including those who are vulnerable. They focus on providing learners with helpful information and support on the risks that they may face when working in the broadcasting and events industry.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders conduct effective background checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with adult learners. Staff complete training in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty and receive frequent sector-specific updates on current and emerging risks.

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Reasonable progress

Designated safeguarding leads are suitably trained and experienced for their role. They link with the local council, colleges and the police to keep updated on safeguarding themes and local risks. Monitoring visit: Life Skills Centres Limited, 26 and 27 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 tutor 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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