NowSkills Limited

NowSkills Limited

Address: 1st Floor, Churchgate House, 12-34 Churchgate, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL1 1HL Unique reference number (URN): 1280342

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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 work well with apprentices and their employers to provide an inclusive environment, where apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning mostly succeed. Leaders identify barriers to learning accurately during recruitment. They put in place strategies to mitigate these, where possible, before apprentices start their training. This includes reducing any anxiety that apprentices may have about starting their training.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff receive suitable training to help them to provide appropriate support for apprentices with barriers to learning. Tutors work well with individual apprentices to review and adapt the support they provide as needs change. However, leaders do not formalise or record these adaptations to monitor their impact or ensure they are used consistently well by all staff.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff use continuous assessment to adapt to apprentices’ needs. Tutors build relationships with apprentices that make them feel confident to disclose new or emerging barriers to learning. Tutors mostly adapt their teaching practices, routines and resources well to meet apprentices’ needs. For example, they adapt assessment activities, including mock interviews, for apprentices worried about their challenging final assessments. Tutors give apprentices strategies to overcome their fears. Apprentices with barriers to learning generally achieve as well as, and often better than, their peers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate view of their strengths and areas for development. They set suitable actions where improvements could be made and follow them up accordingly. The actions they take are mostly having a positive impact on the quality of provision, although a few have not had time to embed fully. Leaders carry out a range of quality assurance activities to assess accurately the quality of teaching and apprentices’ learning experiences. These activities enable them to intervene effectively when apprentices fall behind.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a well-considered strategy to offer apprenticeships in the digital sector regionally and, more recently, nationally. Leaders have remained focused on offering training only in digital skills, in which they have expertise, to provide tailored and targeted sector- relevant curriculums.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governance is effective. Governors have an accurate understanding of the quality of provision and articulate it well. They provide appropriate support to leaders and challenge them where required.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel valued and well supported. Leaders are considerate of staff wellbeing and workload. They provide appropriate opportunities for professional development. Tutors new to teaching complete the level 3 learning and development apprenticeship, and product managers complete advanced mentoring qualifications to enable them to better support their teams.

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Achievement Strong standard

Leaders have markedly increased the proportion of apprentices who achieve their apprenticeship and in 2024/25 this was high. Most apprentices achieve merit and distinction grades on completion of their apprenticeship.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices, including those with barriers to learning, make extensive progress from their starting points that prepares them well for their next steps. For example, they produce appropriate marketing emails for a variety of audiences, use marketing data to identify the best times to upload new social media and web content, and use the theory of visual hierarchy to adapt the design of their blogs. Apprentices become valued employees at work.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices produce practical and theoretical work of a consistently high standard and fluently put their skills into practice at work.

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Achievement Strong standard

Most apprentices remain in employment or go on to further study after their apprenticeship. Many apprentices gain promotions or additional responsibilities at work.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders skilfully plan the curriculum so that they teach the knowledge, skills and behaviours apprentices need for the workplace and wider digital sectors. They plan masterclasses for the first 6 months of the apprenticeship so that apprentices gain the key foundational digital knowledge that they need to make a positive start in the workplace, such as the installation of docking stations for digital infrastructure apprentices.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors are highly experienced in the digital industry. They present the online masterclasses using a variety of mostly appropriate teaching strategies. Most apprentices find them interesting and valuable learning opportunities. However, a small minority of apprentices struggle to maintain their interest through this form of learning. Leaders are aware of the need to develop online teaching practice further. Tutors carry out frequent effective reviews of apprentices’ progress, which are typically attended by employers. Apprentices receive personalised support to help them to remain on track. Tutors and employers work together to set helpful targets for apprentices to practise their skills in the workplace. This helps apprentices to relate theory to practice.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors help apprentices develop their English and mathematical skills in a digital context. They teach apprentices how to calculate click throughs from websites and the use of colour, font size and conjunctions to make text more engaging and fluent in social media and marketing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors use a wide range of suitable assessment activities, such as case studies, preparing projects and observation of practical tasks. This prepares apprentices well for their final assessments.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders promote a culture of respect, professionalism and inclusion. They have high expectations of apprentices’ behaviour and attendance to online classes and reviews. Apprentices are punctual, ready to learn and demonstrate positive behaviours. They feel confident asking for clarity, and in identifying their own strengths and areas for development.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Over the last 2 years, leaders have entered apprentices into a variety of both national and regional digital skills competitions. Many apprentices have been finalists, and some have won or received special recognition. Apprentices highly value these achievements, which increase their confidence and motivation.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Tutors provide useful training in topics related to apprentices’ work, such as combating loneliness and isolation in digital roles, where many work alone at home. Most apprentices recall their learning on diversity and the importance of respecting others’ sexual orientation and use of pronouns. Apprentices are confident that bullying and harassment would be dealt with swiftly.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Most apprentices are aware of the risks posed by radicalisation and extremism. Although apprentices have received training on these topics, a few have only a vague recollection.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Most apprentices have a clear understanding of their next steps and the possible pathways they could take upon completion of their apprenticeship. This includes further study or promoted roles. However, apprentices’ knowledge of these options is, in a few cases, dependent on informal discussion with their tutor.

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

Apprentices are well motivated to succeed in their chosen careers in the digital sector. They are keen to share their achievements with employers and each other. Apprentices make a valuable contribution to the workplace. They are mostly very satisfied with the training they receive. They speak highly of the support they are given by their tutors, particularly the individualised support to meet their varying and changing needs when they arise. Tutors take a keen interest in their apprentices and get to know them well. This helps them to intervene quickly when apprentices require help.

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

Leaders have created a positive, respectful and inclusive online learning environment, where apprentices feel confident to ask and answer questions. Leaders have increased the number of apprentices who achieve their apprenticeship in the last year, with a high proportion now completing successfully. Many achieve merit and distinction grades and go on to further study, remain in employment or gain promotions and additional responsibilities.

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

Apprentices develop a wide range of new skills relevant to their roles in the digital sector. This includes specific hints and tips pertinent to their roles. For example, content creator apprentices learn the best times to post content, such as when customers may be looking at social media on their lunch break or when they have finished work.

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Next steps

Leaders should further strengthen the quality of teaching across masterclasses so that they are of a consistently high standard. Leaders should formalise and record the support that tutors give apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities so that they can monitor its impact. Leaders should further embed the careers advice and guidance given to apprentices throughout their apprenticeship so that all apprentices have a clear understanding of their potential next steps. Leaders should reinforce the training they provide on the dangers of radicalisation and extremism throughout the apprenticeship so that all apprentices remember what they have been taught about these topics.

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About this inspection

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

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with apprentices, employers, leaders, staff and governors during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider: NowSkills Limited is an independent learning provider based in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Leaders offer apprenticeships in the digital sector. Most training is delivered online with a small amount of training offered face to face, depending on employer need. Most apprentices are based in the North West, with a few based nationally.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 355 apprentices in learning. Most apprentices study at level 3 with the highest numbers on multi-channel marketer and information

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Team inspectors:

Martin Ward, His Majesty's Inspector Alastair Mollon, His Majesty's Inspector Alex Lang, Ofsted 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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Apprenticeships overall achievement rate

communications technician apprenticeships. At level 3, apprentices also study content creator, digital support technician and data technician apprenticeships. At level 4, there were 96 apprentices in learning, most of whom were on the data analyst apprenticeship, followed by network engineer and business analyst. Leaders also offer the level 3 learning and development practitioner and level 5 operations manager apprenticeships to their own staff.

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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.

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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.

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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 .

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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 .

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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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