Nordic Products and Services

Nordic Products and Services

Address: Church Road, TS18 2HN Unique reference number (URN): 2761346

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders successfully promote a positive culture of inclusion. Staff identify learners’ barriers to learning quickly and accurately. They provide effective support to enable learners to access the course and to successfully develop the knowledge and skills they need to gain employment.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Learners appreciate the support they receive and feel comfortable to discuss any barriers to learning they may have. Learners value the non-judgemental approach from staff when they declare barriers of a sensitive nature.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Staff attend useful training to help them identify the support needs of learners and plan appropriate interventions. They receive effective training on how to review the support provided to learners to determine whether it needs to be amended.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Trainers are skilled in identifying any barriers that learners do not declare and put appropriate support in place. Leaders recognise that they need to do further work to focus more closely on the needs of care leavers and employed learners without level 2 English and mathematics qualifications.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders monitor the outcomes of learners with barriers to learning effectively to ensure that they make the progress of which they are capable. Learners who have been identified as having support needs make very good progress and a high proportion go on to employment or secure promotion.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and executive directors have a clear and ambitious vision to provide Skills Bootcamps that improve the lives of learners and meet the demand for welders in the region. They have developed strong relationships with employers and work closely with them to ensure that courses meet industry needs to support workforce development.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and executive directors have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development of Skills Bootcamp courses. They evaluate carefully the quality of the provision and take effective action to make improvements. Leaders use frequent leadership and board meetings to monitor progress against actions. However, they rightly recognise that they do not monitor consistently and accurately enough the implementation and progress made with their improvement actions. Leaders have appropriate oversight arrangements in place. Executive directors have significant experience of managing training providers and provide effective support and challenge to senior leaders. They work closely with leaders in key areas such as safeguarding, learner retention, achievement and progression. Leaders and executive directors work together to make careful decisions to provide the best possible provision for

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

learners and to meet the skills needs in the region.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and executive directors are mindful of the workload and wellbeing of staff. Staff speak positively about working at the provider and feel valued.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide instructors with valuable training to update their industry skills. Instructors gain teaching qualifications and attend training to improve their teaching skills further. They use their new skills effectively when teaching learners.

p.3

Achievement Strong standard

Learners achieve and often exceed the goals set for them at the start of the course. They gain the detailed metal fabrication knowledge and skills they need to secure employment in the metal and fabrication industry.

p.3

Achievement Strong standard

Learners consistently make extensive progress from their starting points. They rapidly develop a very secure understanding of new concepts and apply their training quickly to complex tasks such as overlaying welds to increase the stability and strength of metal plates. Learners consistently produce high-quality work, which ensures they are workplace ready immediately on completion of the Skills Bootcamp.

p.3

Achievement Strong standard

As a result of what they learn on their course, learners who are unemployed very quickly move into paid employment and into highly skilled and high-paying roles. Employed learners progress in their current roles, taking on increased responsibilities and promotions, or gaining new employment.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders and staff very carefully align Skills Bootcamp provision to the Local Skills Improvement Plan and skills priorities in Tees Valley. They play a strong role in building a stronger workforce of skilled employees. Leaders work closely with employers to ensure the curriculum is current and relevant. This supports learners to develop the substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to meet employer needs and metal and fabrication operational and safety standards.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders recruit expert staff who have the subject knowledge, industry experience and teaching skills to plan, sequence and provide consistently high-quality, individualised training. Instructors skilfully teach complex topics to learners that help them to master welding techniques to a high standard. They use highly effective teaching strategies to help learners to fully understand and remember key course content.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Instructors accurately assess learners’ welding work. They carefully check the accuracy of welds and provide learners with constructive feedback immediately on the quality of work produced. This helps learners know what they do well and what they need to do to improve.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Instructors plan and provide effective English and mathematical skills training. They teach the current terminology used in the welding and fabrication sector. Instructors teach learners how to measure accurately so they can self-assess whether the quality of their work meets exact tolerances.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Learners complete training in well-resourced workshop environments that are purposeful, reflective of industry standards and meet health and safety regulations. As a result, they know what to expect when they enter the workforce as welders.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Inspectors set high expectations of appropriate behaviour, and they model expected practice by always adhering to health and safety requirements. Learners replicate these expected behaviours in workshops and when using equipment. Learners' attendance at sessions is high.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Learners have an appropriate understanding of potential risks posed by extremist views and radicalisation. They appreciate training about how they can embody fundamental British values. Learners model tolerance and respect when working in workshops using equipment and abide by the rule of law in relation to legislation and health and safety.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders and instructors provide learners with helpful careers advice and guidance that helps them to make relevant choices about their next steps. Unemployed learners are supported well to prepare for interviews and employed learners understand the potential career paths they can take following upskilling. Staff support learners well to improve their confidence. Instructors take care to celebrate learners’ successes in their welding work. Learners develop confidence in their new skills and knowledge as they progress into the workplace.

p.4

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners appreciate the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills they need to be effective welders. They value studying a curriculum that is tailored to their individual needs.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners are very well prepared for their next steps. They leave the course workplace ready and progress swiftly into jobs if they are unemployed. Learners who were previously unemployed develop confidence, self-esteem and a sense of worth. This often transforms their lives, enabling them to provide for their families.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners value highly the expertise of their instructors, their knowledge and industry experience. Instructors treat learners with respect and kindness, supporting their emotional needs when they are anxious. Learners thrive in the supportive and non-judgemental environment where they feel comfortable to disclose any barriers to learning. Learners who previously struggled to access welding training are supported well and make good progress. For example, instructors understand that they need to use visual safety alerts for hearing impaired learners such as flashing lights or vibration alerts instead of sound-based alarms.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners know about local safeguarding risks and the risks of extremist behaviour in the engineering industry. For example, they need to be mindful of theft of dangerous equipment such as oxygen cylinders, which can be used in acts of terrorism. However, instructors do not teach learners sufficiently about online risks. Leaders plan to update safeguarding training to include this topic.

p.5

Next steps

• Leaders should implement actions to enable them to identify and meet the needs of care leavers and employed learners without level 2 English and mathematics qualifications more effectively. • Leaders should further develop the safeguarding training provided to learners to include online safety. • Leaders should ensure that actions for improvement they identify are clear and have specific deadlines so that they can be more easily monitored.

p.5

Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

p.6

About this inspection

Following our updated inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

p.6

About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with instructors, the head of delivery and the managing director during the inspection.

p.6

About this inspection

Nordic Products and Services is an independent learning provider with its head office in Stockton-On-Tees. It provides Skills Bootcamps in fabrication and welding to unemployed and employed adults who live in the Tees Valley. There were 45 learners enrolled during wave 5 of Skills Bootcamps. At the time of the inspection there were three learners enrolled.

p.6

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.7

Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

p.7

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.7

Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.7

Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.7

Urgent improvement

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 .

p.7

Urgent improvement

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 . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8