NIC Services Group Limited

NIC Services Group Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Chloe Rendall, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Address: Spencer House Viaduct Road Leeds LS4 2AP Monitoring visit: NIC Services Group Limited, 29 and 30 April 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

NIC Services Group Limited is an employer provider that delivers apprenticeships at their main offices in Leeds and in distribution centres and offices across the UK. Currently, there are 52 apprentices on the level 2 cleaning hygiene operative, 52 apprentices on the level 5 operations manager, 46 apprentices on the level 3 team leader and fewer than five apprentices on the level 3 multi-channel marketer apprenticeship. All apprentices are aged 18 years and over. At the time of the visit, no apprentices had completed the end-point assessment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders offer apprenticeships that enable their staff to develop their skills by accessing helpful training at a level carefully matched to their previous educational and work experience. Level 2 cleaning hygiene operative apprenticeships enable staff to gain the knowledge and skills they need to deliver high-quality services to clients. Level 3 team leader and level 5 operations manager apprenticeships help staff develop the leadership skills they need to manage and supervise colleagues.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit tutors who have the relevant knowledge and experience to deliver training to apprentices. Most tutors have worked in the cleaning industry, health and safety or human resources. Leaders arrange for those who are new to teaching to undertake qualifications early in their employment to help them develop the skills they need to teach successfully.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices who work at different premises across the UK easily attend their off-the-job training on site. They liaise and communicate effectively with clients to ensure that, where applicable, apprentices are released from cleaning shifts to attend their off-the-job training, even during peak times of demand. Monitoring visit: NIC Services Group Limited, 29 and 30 April 2025 Leaders take appropriate actions to make improvements when necessary. They have introduced new quality assurance processes that help them to have greater oversight of the progress that apprentices make. These processes enable leaders and staff to identify apprentices at risk of not achieving their apprenticeship and to put in place suitable measures to support them.

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Reasonable progress

Directors hold leaders to account for the delivery and success of apprenticeships. They know the actions leaders take to rectify areas for improvement and monitor the impact of these on a quarterly basis. Where issues arise in advance of quarterly meetings, directors are swift to offer support to leaders to help them resolve concerns.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors plan, sequence and deliver on- and off-the-job training effectively. They work well with clients to ensure that the curriculum reflects their working practices. They then change the sequencing of topics in response to client needs. For example, when clients have an important event to prepare for, tutors deliver office space cleaning training first so apprentices clean offices to a good standard in readiness for high-profile workplace visits.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors use effective teaching strategies in face-to-face training sessions. They plan effective group work activities where apprentices discuss scenarios and share knowledge and expertise with peers. They use engaging recap activities to identify what apprentices can recall from previous sessions. They quickly identify misconceptions or errors and plan learning to fill gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and skills.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and staff provide additional qualifications to enhance apprentices’ knowledge and skills. For example, health and safety tutors teach a managing safely qualification. This helps level 5 operations manager apprentices understand and manage health and safety effectively in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices produce written and practical work of a good standard. Tutors on level 5 operations manager apprenticeships provide apprentices with helpful feedback on their work that enables them to understand what they do well and what they need to do to improve. However, in a few instances on level 2 and level 3 apprenticeships, tutors do not identify well enough the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need to develop further. For example, on level 2 cleaning hygiene operative apprenticeships, tutors check apprentices’ understanding of toilet cleaning against the duties in the standard. However, they do not identify well enough what apprentices need to do next to improve their knowledge and skills. Monitoring visit: NIC Services Group Limited, 29 and 30 April 2025 Leaders rightly recognise this and are providing support to tutors to help them enhance the quality of the feedback they provide.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers successfully promote a culture of safeguarding and protection. They have suitable policies and procedures in place that provide staff and apprentices with sufficient guidance on how to raise safeguarding concerns should these occur.

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Reasonable progress

Staff inform apprentices of the potential risks associated with radicalisation and extremist actions and of other contemporary risks. Level 5 operations manager apprentices benefit from modern-day slavery training. They use their new knowledge when recruiting cleaning staff, ensuring vulnerable people are not exploited by others. Level 3 multi-channel marketer apprentices study digital and cyber safety programmes to gain knowledge of how to stay safe online. Monitoring visit: NIC Services Group Limited, 29 and 30 April 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

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Reasonable progress

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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