iungo Solutions Limited

iungo Solutions Limited

Address: 30 Queen Charlotte St, Bristol, BS1 4HJ Unique reference number (URN): 2772954

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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 Strong standard

Leaders and managers have developed successful Skills Bootcamp provision in which learners feel very welcome and can participate on equal terms with their peers, irrespective of background or disadvantage. Learners on the Free Courses for Jobs provision study in a learning environment that is safe, respectful and inclusive. Leaders have selected training centres which are easy for learners to travel to and access.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders’ learner selection process focuses initially on whether learners have the attitude, aptitude and ambition to succeed on the course rather than selecting only by prior experience, sector knowledge or qualifications. Leaders are committed strongly to identifying and overcoming any barriers that learners may have. They monitor the progress of learners who have barriers to learning in order to determine the impact of their interventions and support strategies. If learners’ needs change, so does the support provided for it to remain effective.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Learners value how well tutors have been trained to manage and support them and respond to any changes in circumstances. Leaders respond rapidly to learners’ views gathered from learner surveys at the end of each training session. This includes, for example, immediately adjusting tutors’ lesson plans or content to ensure the content is accessible by all.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are successfully implementing their ambitious and carefully planned vision to provide vocational training in very specific aspects of information technology. For example, their current Skills Bootcamp course rapidly enables learners to start, accelerate or change their careers in the IT sector and gain highly marketable ‘microcredentials’ and IT sector certifications.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have ensured that tutors are current practitioners, professionally certificated in the subjects they teach. They schedule time each week for tutors to practise and further develop their professional skills. All staff have access to, and take advantage of, relevant skills training to enhance interactions with learners. Leaders’ observation practice focuses well on tutors’ session preparation, planning and use of teaching strategies. However, following observations of teaching, leaders do not ensure that tutors receive appropriate focused support or training to develop aspects of their teaching skills which are less effective.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are enhancing their quality improvement arrangements, having introduced monthly management-level reviews to assess operational effectiveness, compliance, strengths and areas for improvement. These reviews lead to actions for specific and time-bound actions for improvement. Leaders pay close attention to gathering and responding to the views of learners after each session to identify what went well and what could be improved.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders monitor staff wellbeing closely and ensure that staff workload is manageable and not overtiring.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have appointed an advisory board with senior-level commercial and further education expertise to provide leaders with enhanced challenge and sector insight than previous governance arrangements offered. This board meets initially in April so its impact cannot yet be evaluated.

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Achievement Expected standard

Tutors have a good track record of supporting learners to achieve their target qualifications. They ensure that learners develop the required skills in their subject areas and make appropriate progress from their starting points, in line with tutors' expectations. Learners in lean management develop their understanding of lean concepts and the Kano model. They use their knowledge to streamline processes at work. Learners are mostly on track to achieve their career and personal goals.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners produce written work to a high standard and often at a level that exceeds the expectations of the funding bodies and external organisations with which iungo works. Learners also gain IT industry-specific qualifications which substantially enhance their career prospects. Skills Bootcamp learners develop their mathematical and English skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and managers have a thorough understanding of the content, quality and impact of each of the curriculums they offer, refining or redesigning curriculums to reflect changes in

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Needs attention

IT sector practices and employers' needs. Staff monitor how well learners learn and their progress against their starting points, intervening rapidly to support learners if they are falling behind. Leaders use a range of effective methods to gather immediate detailed evidence of each learner’s experience, enabling them to make any adaptations to support, teaching or course content rapidly.

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Needs attention

Tutors have the expert knowledge and professional experience to teach curriculum content with authority and in depth. They focus well on teaching the fundamentals of each course in a logical order using frequent recap and clarification so that learning becomes embedded in learners’ long-term memory. Tutors use discussions in class well to consolidate learners’ new knowledge. They ensure that practical activities bring theoretical components to life and they use terminology appropriately, including spelling out technical words clearly to avoid misunderstanding. Learners recognise and respect the fact that tutors are highly experienced practitioners who bring their extensive expertise to training. Tutors have mostly gained initial qualifications in education and training, but leaders recognise that tutors’ teaching skills should be further improved.

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Needs attention

Leaders have ensured that learners can attend classes online or in person, including one-to- one taught and support sessions, which broadens their learning. Learners can access teaching resources online by themselves, or with a tutor, to fill in any gaps or missed learning.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders and tutors have created learning environments in which learners feel safe and welcomed. Learners value the respectful atmosphere during teaching and know that bullying or harassment are not accepted. They feel confident to raise concerns either through leaders’ frequent learner surveys or directly with their tutors. Tutors quickly establish a positive team dynamic so that learners feel part of a supportive group.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Learners enjoy their learning and mostly attend well, but leaders recognise that learners’ attendance across a minority of their programmes can be further improved. Leaders quickly identify if and why learners do not attend sessions and are mostly successful in re-engaging those who are, or may become, persistent non-attendees.

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Participation and development Needs attention

During course inductions, tutors introduce learners to the principles of life in modern Britain and how to keep themselves safe from extremism and radicalisation. However, these topics are not reinforced in sufficient depth later on, and learners’ understanding of these topics is shallow. Leaders do not provide learners with sufficiently rich guidance on maintaining their wellbeing. They have not ensured that careers advice is effective. Too many learners are unaware how to gain timely careers advice, and a small minority currently seeking work have had no advice.

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

Learners mostly make good progress in developing specialist new skills and knowledge in software, data and lean management practice, irrespective of their starting points. They quickly become adept practitioners and are rightly proud of the skills they are learning. Learners know their skills are highly relevant to the IT sector and valued by employers. They are mostly very motivated to attend their courses and grow in confidence as they progress through their course.

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

Learners who are new or relatively new to the IT sector are grateful for the exceptional support for learning that they receive from their tutors. They value highly how iungo’s leaders, managers and tutors go to great lengths to identify and reduce any barriers learners may have to learning, whatever their circumstances, backgrounds or starting points. Learners generally feel able to share details of any personal or professional concerns with tutors should they need more support.

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

Leaders ensure that learners are able to learn extra skills, such as basic programming, which enhance learners’ employability and augment the skills they bring to the workplace. For example, leaders have designed the current Skills Bootcamp course to include the opportunity for learners to gain ‘vendor certifications’. These validate the specialist technical knowledge that learners have gained and can be used to accelerate their careers.

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

Leaders recognise that learners are not learning enough about wider topics beyond the requirements of their qualification, such as life in modern Britain, maintaining their wellbeing or routinely getting the timely careers advice they need.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that tutors receive focused training to improve their teaching skills following lesson observations. Leaders should ensure that all learners receive timely and effective careers guidance in order to understand the breadth of career choices available to them. Leaders should ensure that all learners are given access to wider learning opportunities in, for example, developing their understanding of life in modern Britain, knowing how to maintain their wellbeing and keeping themselves safe. Leaders should make sure that their quality assurance and governance arrangements are effective in further improving the quality of training that they offer.

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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:

Nicola Sendell, Ofsted Inspector Clare Mills, 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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Our grades explained

Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, board members, tutors, managers and learners during the inspection.

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Our grades explained

iungo Solutions Limited's head office is in Cardiff, but leaders also offer training programmes in England. The provider currently has 16 learners following a level 5 lean leadership Skills Bootcamp course run from its Bristol office and funded by the West of England Combined Authority. The taught element of this programme lasts 10 weeks, followed by 6 months support from iungo staff as learners complete a practical work-based project. All learners are adults and most are in full time employment. This programme had only been running a few weeks at the time of inspection. iungo also provides focused information technology courses at Levels 2 and 3 for 16 adult learners, which are funded by Devon Council.

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Our grades explained

Group Chief Executive: Jessica Leigh-Jones

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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

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

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Urgent improvement

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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