Next Gen Skills Limited

Next Gen Skills Ltd Monitoring visit report

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

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

25 Gras Lawn Exeter EX2 4RX Monitoring visit: Next Gen Skills Ltd, 25 and 26 June 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

Next Gen Skills Ltd, trading as Next Gen Skills Academy, provides Skills Bootcamps in games design and development, animation and visual effects. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were fewer than five learners enrolled. During the academic year, 52 learners have completed Skills Bootcamps.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have designed three distinct Skills Bootcamps in games design and development, animation, and visual effects to teach learners the skills they need to improve their job roles or widen the range of freelance work they undertake. Learners gain skills and knowledge in areas, such as cinematics, that help them to secure more senior roles within the industry or to widen the sorts of work they can undertake for their own businesses.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders carefully check the quality of the courses they offer by monitoring the quality of the work that learners produce using a purpose-built online application that collates learners’ work and the feedback they receive. Leaders visit sessions and use surveys to collect the views of learners and make incremental improvements to subsequent Skills Bootcamps. For example, leaders have adapted their animation course so that learners focus on producing fewer scenes to a higher standard rather than a full film.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders use their extensive experience of the games, animation and visual effects industries to advise learners on the options available for them to develop their skills. Learners complete a pre-bootcamp task, such as designing a simple character to demonstrate their understanding of the 3D environment. This helps leaders to establish learners’ existing technical skills, provide individual advice and guidance, and plan training for learners. Monitoring visit: Next Gen Skills Ltd, 25 and 26 June 2025 Leaders have assembled a governing board, that includes industry leaders, to oversee the provision and provide challenge. Governors bring a wealth of expertise and experience to the board that leaders use to check the relevance of their curriculums and suitability of their training courses for the industry. However, this does not yet include sufficient focus on the achievements of learners or quality of training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work with employers and sector organisations very effectively to identify the essential knowledge and skills that learners need to gain to enter the games, animation or visual effects industries. Leaders work closely with an employers’ steering group to bring together leading employers from the three industries they serve. This helps leaders to understand the skills shortages in those industries and plan relevant training to meet these needs. Leaders work closely with employers to produce employer-set briefs that replicate the tasks that learners could expect to work on in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors teach learners new business and careers development skills to help them to develop their careers within the games design, animation and visual effects industries. Learners learn how to include within their curriculum vitae key prompts to optimise their chances of being selected through AI candidate selection and sifting tools. Learners are taught about all stages of the production pipeline for creative products. Consequently, they have a good understanding of the job roles they are best suited to and how to successfully apply to these.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide learners with very useful feedback on their coursework that replicates the type of feedback learners would receive in the workplace. They ensure that learners receive concise technical feedback so they can adjust and quickly improve the quality of their practical work. For example, how to improve the use of lighting, movement and rendering.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors are very experienced in teaching games design and development, animation and visual effects. They use their knowledge and skills well to plan well-structured online and face-to-face training. However, tutors do not always receive information about those learners who may need additional support for their learning. Consequently, tutors do not always know if they need to adapt their teaching for these learners. Monitoring visit: Next Gen Skills Ltd, 25 and 26 June 2025

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed a culture where learners feel safe to raise any safeguarding or well-being concerns with them. There are suitable reporting procedures in place for learners to report concerns and leaders have plans in place to ensure that all learners are made aware of how to use these at the start of each course they offer.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead and the wider staff team are appropriately trained to carry out their roles. They are further developing the way they teach learners about extremism and radicalisation so that learners understand how this may affect them in their roles. Monitoring visit: Next Gen Skills Ltd, 25 and 26 June 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Reasonable progress

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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