F-Tec Forklift Training Engineering Centre Ltd

F-Tec Forklift Training Engineering Centre Ltd

Address: Unit 17 Ash, Kembrey Park, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 8UN Unique reference number (URN): 1278680

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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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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

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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.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have established an inclusive culture in which apprentices are welcomed, known well as individuals and supported to make positive progress. Leaders promote a strong pastoral approach that ensures apprentices’ individual needs are understood and are generally met effectively alongside their technical training.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and tutors identify learning and support needs early by finding out what apprentices already know at the start of training and through careful review of their skills. Staff use this information to personalise learning and provide targeted practical and pastoral support. This enables most apprentices to make the progress expected of them, including those who disclose additional needs or experience periods of vulnerability.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders implement an effective process of identifying needs, planning appropriate support and reviewing its impact. Staff are well trained to apply this approach confidently, using regular review meetings to check progress and adjust support where necessary. This mostly ensures that support remains appropriate when needs emerge or change.

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Inclusion Expected standard

When apprentices face barriers to learning or wellbeing, such as anxiety or workplace challenges, leaders act promptly while maintaining high expectations for apprentices. Apprentices with support needs achieve and make comparable progress to their peers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear strategy to provide training in a niche market for lift truck and powered access technicians. They know the apprenticeship provision well. They are generally clear about what needs to improve and take swift action when issues arise. This has helped address concerns promptly about the quality of training and supports continued improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and those responsible for governance make decisions that place apprentices’ interests at the centre of their choices. This includes ending partnerships with employers that do not share leaders’ vision of the expectations for high-quality training, which had a significant impact on 2023/24 achievement rates. These decisions help to ensure apprentices are not placed in environments that may negatively impact on the quality of their training or progression.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Those responsible for governance contribute constructively to discussions about the direction of the provision and provide appropriate challenge. They help ensure that staffing, facilities and financial resources reflect leaders’ priorities, enabling continued investment in industry-standard equipment and specialist facilities that support apprentices’ learning and development. They use information about achievement, feedback from apprentices and employers, and regular dialogue with leaders to understand the quality of teaching and training.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders promote a positive working culture in which staff feel valued and supported. They intentionally plan and maintain trainer caseloads at an appropriate level, giving staff the time to provide effective training and responsive support for apprentices. Leaders provide staff with useful professional learning, including technical updating, safeguarding, equality and inclusion, which helps staff to provide effective training and pastoral support for apprentices.

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Achievement Expected standard

Published achievement data at the time of inspection was low because of leaders' decision to transfer a group of apprentices to another provider. More recently, around half of apprentices have achieved their apprenticeship, and achievement rates continue on an improving trend. All apprentices who stay on their courses pass their qualifications. A substantial proportion of apprentices achieve distinction grades, including those with low prior qualifications and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices typically produce work to high standards. They quickly gain new knowledge and skills from their often limited technical starting points. For example, in their first year, apprentices swiftly become competent at changing auxiliary hoses or forklift chains. Towards the end of their apprenticeship, apprentices confidently use their diagnostic knowledge to carry out fault-finding tasks with clients unsupervised and are very well prepared for their roles as field service engineers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders design their curriculum in collaboration with employers very well to ensure their specialist engineering apprenticeship meets employers' needs and prepares apprentices fully for careers in the industry.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers plan the curriculum to ensure apprentices gain fundamental skills early in their apprenticeship and can safely apply them at work. Trainers introduce added complexity over time, building towards advanced diagnostics and interpretation of manufacturers' data systems.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers have relevant industry experience and expertise, and most have significant experience in training. Trainers mostly provide clear technical explanations and use questioning well to further apprentices' understanding. Trainers demonstrate practical techniques using high-quality industry-standard equipment and provide valuable one-to-one guidance to each apprentice. In a minority of instances, training sessions lack the pace or variety of activities to keep apprentices motivated throughout the session.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers use a variety of useful assessment methods to check apprentices’ learning, ranging from quizzes to written reports. They mostly provide helpful and developmental feedback to help apprentices know how to improve further, using progress reports, verbal feedback on technical skills development and discussions about written work. However, trainers do not routinely identify or correct spelling, punctuation or grammar errors in apprentices' work.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure employers are very well informed about the course content and how best to support apprentices in the workplace. Workplace mentors routinely attend and contribute well in meetings to review apprentices’ progress. Assessors and mentors plan opportunities for apprentices to practise and refine their new skills and develop their confidence in the workplace.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices receive appropriate advice about their next steps and career pathways. During careers workshops and review meetings, trainers and assessors provide useful information about progression to level 4 study and longer-term options such as moving into sales or workshop management.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Trainers set high expectations for attendance and professional behaviour, and apprentices demonstrate this through very high attendance and appropriate conduct. On the rare occasions when apprentices are unable to attend, leaders ensure they catch up through joining other groups or receiving individual coaching where required.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices report that bullying and harassment are not tolerated in the training centre or workplace and feel confident that any concerns raised would be dealt with appropriately.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Tutors teach important topics such as mental health awareness, knife crime, drug and alcohol misuse and the risks of radicalisation and extremism. Apprentices, particularly those aged 16 to 18, find these sessions helpful, although their detailed recall of specific content can vary over time.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices generally demonstrate an appropriate understanding of fundamental British values and recognise the importance of applying these in the workplace, for example by treating customers with respect and valuing cultural diversity.

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

Apprentices experience a well-structured, employer-focused apprenticeship that helps them build practical competence from the outset. Early in their programme, they learn essential techniques, such as safely jacking and blocking equipment and carrying out routine checks and repairs. As they progress, they move on to more complex diagnostic tasks and interpreting manufacturers’ systems. This enables apprentices to quickly apply new learning and contribute meaningfully in the workplace. Apprentices work with current technologies, including advanced hydrogen fuel systems, which strengthens their understanding of modern industry practice. Their training takes place in very well-equipped workshops, using industry-standard machinery, specialist rigs and high-quality tools. They access professionally produced digital manuals and resources that support independent study and preparation for assessments.

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

Apprentices value the opportunities to practise skills repeatedly and to ask technical questions linked to real workplace scenarios. Regular review meetings help them understand clearly what they have achieved and what they need to improve. Employers contribute actively to these discussions and provide targeted opportunities at work to consolidate learning. Over time, apprentices become increasingly assured, motivated and capable in their roles.

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

Apprentices who face barriers to learning or wellbeing, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or personal challenges, receive appropriate support so that these barriers do not prevent them from progressing through their apprenticeship. This helps them to remain engaged in training and, in most cases, make progress at the same pace as their peers. Leaders have prioritised working with employers who value apprentices and the contribution they make to the workplace. This has resulted in more apprentices being supported to achieve and an improving picture of overall achievement.

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

Apprentices develop greater independence through learning about safeguarding, wellbeing, healthy relationships and practical life skills linked to working away from home. Most apprentices speak positively about their experience and demonstrate professional attitudes in training and at work.

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Next steps

• Leaders should increase the proportion of apprentices who achieve their apprenticeship. • Leaders should further develop trainers’ use of varied teaching strategies to maintain apprentices’ motivation and participation throughout training sessions. • Leaders should ensure that trainers provide suitable feedback to apprentices that includes corrections to spelling, punctuation and grammar so that apprentices know how to avoid making these mistakes in future pieces of work. • Leaders should ensure that trainers revisit personal development topics with apprentices throughout the apprenticeship so that apprentices remember what they have learned. • Leaders should increase opportunities for apprentices to participate in activities that develop their understanding of social responsibilities.

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About this inspection

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

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Team inspectors:

Lowenna Bradley, His Majesty's Inspector David Baber, Ofsted Inspector Fazal Dad, Ofsted Inspector Vicki Locke, His Majesty's Inspector

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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.

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131

Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, directors, trainers, staff, employers, apprentices and other key stakeholders during the inspection.

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131

F-Tec Forklift Training Engineering Centre Ltd is an independent learning provider based in Swindon. It offers apprenticeship training in forklift and powered-lifting engineering. At the time of inspection, there were 131 apprentices on programme, all of whom study the lift truck and powered access engineering technician apprenticeship. Apprentices are employed by a range of large and small employers across the country and attend block-release training at the provider’s training centre in Swindon. Apprentices are predominantly adults aged 19 and over, with a smaller number of apprentices aged 16 to 18. Apprentices are generally new to engineering roles and typically have limited prior experience in the sector.

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Exceptional

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

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Strong standard

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

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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.

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Needs attention

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

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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