Teach a Trade Limited

Teach a Trade Limited

Address: Unit F6, Halesfield 23, Telford, TF7 4NY Unique reference number (URN): 2761350

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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 are committed to ensuring that adult learners, regardless of any barriers to learning or support needs, can develop their skills in renewable energy systems. Leaders offer those learners with care responsibilities flexible training days, and offer weekend courses to those who cannot study during the week. Staff use the trusted professional relationships they build with learners to respond to changing circumstances sensitively, for example ensuring that learners experiencing bereavement or health issues can complete their training successfully. Staff know their learners well.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Enrolment staff quickly identify support needs before the start of courses and cascade support strategies to trainers, who use these effectively in the classroom. Trainers plan additional individual support outside of the classroom for learners who have been out of education for many years. Staff respond to changing circumstances sensitively, ensuring that learners experiencing mental and physical health issues can complete their training successfully.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff develop their knowledge of how to support learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff learn to use specialist resources and software. They work with external experts, such as sign language interpreters, to support learners with hearing impairments in lessons and choose effective classroom activities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors recognise the need to upskill gas and electrical professionals to meet critical government priorities in green skills. They plan and adapt their Skills Bootcamps in a flexible way that suits learners' circumstances. Leaders work with relevant local and national organisations to offer learners valuable learning and networking opportunities. For example, leaders arranged a renewables event for learners to meet local employers and engineers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors, who have been in post for a short period of time, support and challenge leaders effectively to improve the provision. They provide leaders with helpful leadership coaching and mentoring, educational insight and business skills. Leaders and governors clearly understand both the strengths and areas for improvement of the provider.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders support trainers, who are industry experts, with useful opportunities to continue to develop their vocational skills. This includes gaining certification for new green technologies. Leaders provide effective support to develop trainers' teaching skills and techniques and encourage them to consider further teaching qualifications. However, this is not focused enough to drive a consistently high standard of teaching and learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel part of a supportive and well-led team of industry professionals. Leaders care about the welfare and wellbeing of staff. Staff recognise the support that leaders give them to develop as individuals.

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Achievement Strong standard

Leaders use information about learners’ starting points and future aspirations well to ensure the Skills Bootcamps are right for them. Learners make extensive progress from their starting points and rapidly display high levels of professional competency. They apply their new technical knowledge and skills expertly to install, repair and commission complex refrigerant systems, such as air source heat pumps. They complete simulated industry commissioning sheets as they hone their new skills. The work that learners produce is of a high standard.

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Achievement Strong standard

The proportion of learners who complete their course and achieve their qualifications is very high. Learners with barriers to their learning achieve their qualification at the same rate as their peers. The vast majority of learners gain new employment opportunities and further their career prospects.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders know their provision well. They use their industry expertise to align the curriculum offer to the priorities of the West Midlands Combined Authority and national green skills ambitions. Leaders design curriculums aimed at employed and self-employed gas and electrical engineers who want to become skilled in green technologies. They teach about source heat pump fitting and the use of refrigerant gases in air conditioning systems.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers are experienced industry professionals, and use their expertise adeptly. They make learning memorable by making meaningful links between theory, practice and real-world settings. Trainers inspire their learners, who rapidly go on to use what they learn in the workplace.

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Needs attention

Leaders understand the quality of their curriculums, teaching and training. For example, while trainers mostly use appropriate teaching strategies to help learners understand and recall what they have learned, leaders recognise that this can be improved through further training.

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Needs attention

Leaders and trainers ensure that the curriculum is accessible, regardless of learners' additional support needs. Trainers give learners with dyslexia clear instructions and regularly and consistently check their understanding. Learners who need it benefit from extra tuition, and practical support.

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Needs attention

Trainers largely use assessment well to provide constructive feedback to learners. For example, they assess learners in practical workshops to identify how well they apply theoretical concepts of electrical installation and testing. They identify gaps in learners' knowledge and skills accurately and refine their teaching to ensure that learners have a sound understanding of how to apply these skills in the workplace.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Staff do not deepen learners' understanding of fundamental British values and life in modern Britain through their teaching. They do not teach learners about how to protect themselves against the dangers of radicalisation or how to maintain good mental health. Although leaders signpost learners to resources about these topics, learners do not have a clear understanding of how they relate to them or how to identify wider risks.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders create a positive, welcoming and inclusive environment in the training centre. Learners benefit from working with approachable staff who know and care about them. When learners raise concerns, staff respond rapidly with support.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Learners attend lessons well and build confidence and resilience, and establish positive professional relationships with their peers and trainers. When learners have difficulties in attending, trainers are proactive in providing extra tuition or flexible learning opportunities so that all learners achieve.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Learners experience plentiful opportunities to discuss potential new career opportunities and further professional training. They learn from experienced professionals, and alongside like- minded peers, who help to identify next steps in training and employment.

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

Adult learners, who are trained professionals in gas and electrical systems, rapidly develop new knowledge and skills in green technologies which they use to widen and enhance their businesses and gain new employment. Almost all learners achieve their qualifications and use their new skills in the workplace confidently. Leaders support learners who have barriers to learning through individualised support. Staff identify where learners need flexible working time or weekend training to fit around their childcare and work requirements. They use appropriate strategies to support those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including working closely with sign language interpreters and investing in resources to support those with dyslexia. Learners with SEND make the same strong progress as their peers, regardless of their barriers to learning.

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

Leaders and trainers create a highly inclusive working environment and have high aspirations for learners. Learners readily demonstrate respectful behaviours in the training centre. However, they do not receive training that further develops their understanding of life in modern Britain.

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

Learners enjoy their training and the network of professionals they study with. They are highly motivated to use their new skills to continue to develop their careers. Learners learn to work on refrigeration rigs and use condensers, compressors and evaporators confidently and skilfully. They use advanced technologies, such as mobile applications to calculate gas units, that meet the high safety expectations of manufacturers and industry. Learners recognise the value of developing industry-leading skills and qualifications in key local and national skills shortage areas.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that trainers receive focused and tailored professional development to improve their teaching skills further, so that learners receive a consistently high standard of teaching. Leaders should evaluate the inclusion strategy to make evidence-informed adaptations to further strengthen their approach to inclusion. Leaders should ensure that, through their training, they develop learners' understanding of fundamental British values and life in modern Britain, including how to keep themselves safe from the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation.

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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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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, managers and trainers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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About this inspection

Teach a Trade Limited is an independent learning provider based in Telford, Shropshire. The company specialises in electrical, green heating and renewable technologies. Since 2023, leaders have offered Skills Bootcamps, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, to learners across the Midlands.

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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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national average

2023/24 92 87 Close to average At the time of the inspection, there were fewer than 5 adult learners in training. Since the start of 2025, 163 learners have completed Skills Bootcamps. The courses include level 3 awards in areas such as photovoltaic systems, F-Gas, electric vehicle charging points, energy storage systems, electrical installations and installation and maintenance of air source heat pump systems.

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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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