ATS Group Holdings Ltd

ATS Group Holdings Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Richard Kirkham, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September 2025

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Stacey Industrial Park, Whitehouse Farm, Silchester Road, Tadley, Hampshire, RG26 3PY Monitoring visit: ATS Group Holding Limited, 24 and 25 September 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

ATS Group Holdings Limited is an independent learning provider based in Tadley, Hampshire. Leaders offer skills bootcamps to learners who are seeking work or aspire to advance their careers. At the time of the inspection, there were 214 adult learners studying a Skills Bootcamp in plant or lifting operations.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear rationale to offer training that supports the industry and recruitment needs of the construction and plant operations sector. Leaders work closely with relevant employers to carefully design skills bootcamps that help learners to develop the knowledge and skills they need to be employed in high- quality roles in the sector.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders demonstrate their commitment to social mobility by recruiting learners who are long-term unemployed. They work effectively with partners, such as job centre plus, to identify individuals who would benefit from this specialist training and support them to rapidly enter the workforce. Leaders work with offender learning learners to provide a successful route to employment at the end of their sentence.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide staff and learners with high-quality, specialist equipment and resources. This enables learners to complete additional professional qualifications, such as machine safety, construction skills certificate scheme card and fire marshal certification, which greatly adds to learners’ skills and opportunities for employment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit specialist staff, who are highly experienced within the subject they teach. Leaders have positive processes in place to assess the quality of training they offer. However, leaders do not yet fully utilise this intelligence to provide targeted professional development for staff. Monitoring visit: ATS Group Holding Limited, 24 and 25 September 2025 Leaders have recently appointed a governing board. However, it is too early to see the full impact of this new initiative.

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Reasonable progress

Experienced trainers design and teach well-structured lessons, which support learning effectively. Trainers use high-quality training resources and activities to help learners develop their understanding of key processes and concepts. They use assessment effectively to check and consolidate learners’ knowledge and understanding.

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Reasonable progress

In on-site practical sessions, trainers demonstrate skills effectively. They help learners to apply their knowledge and develop these essential skills, for instance they learn to apply their understanding of hand signals to on-site scenarios successfully. Trainers model the use of equipment, such as the use of telehandlers, so that learners understand and can use equipment competently and safely. Consequently, learners’ practical work is of a good standard, that meets the industry requirements securely.

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Reasonable progress

Staff support learners to develop the confidence, knowledge and employment skills to gain employment. Staff provide effective one-to-one careers advice and guidance and regular job clubs that help learners to understand how to apply for and gain employment. This contributes to many adult learners progressing to sustained employment or additional responsibilities at work on completion of their training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders use appropriate procedures to assess learners’ prior knowledge and experiences, and to check if they have any additional learning needs. They put in place sufficient support and adapt training carefully to help learners, who have barriers to their learning, to make good progress and achieve as well as their peers. However, opportunities are missed to support learners to practise and develop their literacy skills.

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Reasonable progress

Most learners enjoy training and value the impact it has on their employability opportunities. This contributes to most learners attending very well. Where learners may miss training, staff intervene appropriately to help them catch up in a timely manner. Monitoring visit: ATS Group Holding Limited, 24 and 25 September 2025

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Reasonable progress

The appropriately experienced and qualified designated safeguarding lead (DSL) uses appropriate processes and procedures to keep learners safe. They make sure staff are safe to work with learners. The DSL make sure staff are suitably trained and know how to identify and support those learners who may be at risk.

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Reasonable progress

Learners feel safe and know how to report any concerns they may have. Staff teach them how to work safely in construction environments. They know, for instance, how to recognise asbestos and the steps to take to keep themselves and others safe when they find it. They understand and use personal and respiratory protective equipment correctly and consistently and follow safety regulations on site diligently.

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Reasonable progress

Staff teach learners about the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. However, staff do not routinely revisit this content and so learners have limited recall of these topics. Monitoring visit: ATS Group Holding Limited, 24 and 25 September 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

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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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