KIWI & YUZU LTD

KIWI & YUZU LTD

Address: Burlington House, 23-25 Portland Terrace, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 7EN Unique reference number (URN): 2554081

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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 and staff know their learners and apprentices very well. They care deeply about them succeeding in their learning. Trainers swiftly develop positive, open and trusting relationships, which contribute to learners and apprentices feeling valued and welcomed.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff work closely with learners and apprentices to understand their challenges and identify barriers that could hinder their learning. They adapt learning plans and put in place support that enables learners and apprentices to participate in learning successfully. For example, staff provide training that fits around the work and personal commitments of learners with caring responsibilities. They provide suitable adapted resources for apprentices with dyslexia to meet their needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Trainers are vigilant for signs of apprentices and learners who encounter new barriers to their learning through illness or changing personal circumstances. When this happens, trainers put in place sensible, helpful support for as long as necessary. This ensures learners and apprentices continue their learning and few fall behind.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are committed to further strengthening and consolidating their work on inclusion. They have recently established a new inclusion panel to bring a more systematic approach to their work and provided professional development to build staff expertise.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand well the provider’s strengths and areas for development. They are rightly proud of their well-established, impactful employer relationships and the high outcomes on Skills Bootcamps and most apprenticeship standards. Where they identify weaknesses, they take actions that mostly lead to improvements, such as increasing achievement for Skills Bootcamp learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear, ambitious vision for their provision that is built around sector expertise and a detailed understanding of regional and local needs. They work closely with funding bodies, stakeholder groups and a wide range of employers to help shape their offer. Many of these relationships are long term and add substantial value to learners and apprentices through guest lectures, employment and upskilling opportunities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors are appropriately qualified and experienced. They hold leaders to account appropriately and provide effective challenge.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a high regard for staff welfare and wellbeing. As a result, staff feel valued. Staff benefit from a day of leave for their birthday and their work anniversary. Leaders manage trainer caseloads carefully and have built a culture that encourages and supports a healthy work-life balance. They have put in place programmes of staff development, which are generally well planned and typically tailored to meet individual staff needs effectively.

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Achievement Strong standard

Skills bootcamp learners, most of whom were previously unemployed and/or have substantial barriers to employment, develop new knowledge skills and behaviours swiftly, which help them gain employment. Learners make extensive progress from their starting points. They grow in confidence and gain useful qualifications to build their employability skills through supported workplace visits and mock interviews that help them re-enter the workforce. Achievement is high and exceeds the milestone targets set by the funding bodies who commission this work.

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Achievement Strong standard

Learners quickly gain the knowledge and vocabulary they need to succeed and thrive in the workplace. Hospitality learners become competent baristas, taking and fulfilling orders as they work to strict industry standards. Care learners confidently explain safe handling and storage of medication.

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Achievement Strong standard

Adult learners are very well prepared for their next steps at the end of the bootcamps. Almost all move on to sustained employment in high-quality jobs.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders understand the quality of teaching and training, which is consistently high. They have a clear rationale for their offer which meets regional skills gaps. They teach hospitality skills bootcamps linked to major tourist areas and logistics bootcamps based in the freeport. They teach green skills bootcamps, recognising the regional drive to sustainability and the importance of retrofit. They work with job centre plus to recruit unemployed learners onto skills bootcamps that mostly result in job outcomes.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders sequence the curriculum expertly so that learners quickly develop extensive new knowledge and skills through short, intensive blocks of teaching. Learners on the green skills bootcamp quickly learn to install heat pumps and gain industry recognised certification that they need for employment. Learners on the hospitality bootcamp learn to make a range of coffees to a high standard using industry standard machines. Trainers skilfully embed employability skills and a wider personal development curriculum that helps learners build the skills, confidence and resilience they need to successfully enter, or re-enter the workforce.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Trainers teach learners highly effectively. They break down complex topics into small chunks by using clear explanations, relating them to jobs so that they are meaningful. Trainers help learners to build strategies such as active listening, note taking and mirroring to help them understand and remember their learning. They make sure learning is accessible by adapting their teaching and assessment practices to support those who are disadvantaged or had previous negative experiences of education. Trainers adopt useful techniques such as taking photos and scribing, and provide additional individually tailored support sessions, where learners are struggling. Almost all learners complete their training.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders set exceptionally high expectations around attendance and professional behaviours from the beginning of the course. Learners adhere to these expectations very well. They are highly committed to their learning. Leaders have designed courses carefully to make sure learners who may also be carers can attend. Consequently, learners very rarely miss taught sessions.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders provide learners with an age-appropriate programme of wider learning, which they skilfully weave into vocational sessions. Learners relate this learning to their contexts well. They have a thorough understanding of health and safety legislation and employment rights. Learners know how to protect themselves and others from risks and learn about discrimination. They are confident to challenge instances of bullying and harassment in the workplace. Learners benefit from practical advice on keeping healthy, such as considering tiredness on long shifts, the importance of drinking water and wearing the right shoes when in a physical job.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Learners benefit from carefully tailored, high-quality careers guidance that prepares them for their next steps very effectively. Learners who have been out of the job market for a long time complete application forms and CVs that demonstrate their transferrable skills. They learn interview techniques and presentation skills that build their confidence. Most succeed in gaining employment.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders are rightly proud of their overall apprenticeship achievement rate, which is high. Most apprentices, including those with barriers to learning, achieve their apprenticeship. They complete in line with their planned milestones. An increasing proportion achieve merits and distinctions in their final assessments. Leaders recognise the need to improve achievement on a small number of level 3 apprenticeships, where too many apprentices leave early.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices learn new knowledge and skills that they demonstrate confidently in the workplace. For example, accountancy apprentices calculate and report on staffing costs and oversee debtor and creditor records. Apprentices produce written work that develops over time and is appropriate for the level of their programme.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices are generally well prepared for their next steps. Almost all stay with the same employer when they complete their apprenticeship. Many gain promotions or take on new responsibilities while they are still studying or when they finish the apprenticeship.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders work closely and collaboratively with employers to design and implement apprenticeship training programmes that typically combine on- and off-the-job training highly effectively. Training is logically planned so that learning builds on what apprentices know and can do. Leaders tailor learning plans carefully to add bespoke content that meets employers’ needs. For example, they increased content on communication skills, body language and de-escalation tactics for customer service apprentices working for a chain of public houses. They adapt the order of training modules skilfully so apprentices can quickly apply their learning in the workplace.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Employers attend frequent, helpful progress reviews. They are clear about the progress their apprentices make and know how to support them at work.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses of their apprenticeships. When they identified that too many apprentices left the team leader apprenticeship early, they strengthened employer engagement and increased the frequency of reviews. As a result, they now identify those at risk of falling behind or dropping out more quickly and put suitable interventions in place.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and staff know their apprentices and their needs well. They take thoughtful steps to ensure the curriculum is accessible. Trainers scaffold learning carefully in the initial stages while apprentices grow in confidence. They provide additional support, such as more frequent one-to-one sessions, use of pause time and repetition for apprentices who are anxious or experience barriers to learning, such as dyslexia or physical impairments. Apprentices with additional learning support needs make progress and achieve in line with their peers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers mostly use their sector expertise well to provide highly engaging sessions that introduce apprentices to the skills, knowledge and vocabulary they need to thrive in the workplace. They use assessments that are well considered and largely effective. Many trainers provide very constructive feedback to apprentices, which helps them understand how to improve. However, in a small number of cases, this is overly positive or not targeted specifically to help apprentices work towards the grades to which they aspire.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations of apprentices’ behaviours, attendance and attitudes. Apprentices know and respond very well to these expectations. They are helpful, polite and professional. Apprentices treat clients, staff and colleagues with respect when studying and in the workplace. They follow guidance such as using their computer cameras during online sessions. Apprentices are highly motivated and show a strong commitment to their learning. Attendance is excellent. Apprentices are rightly proud of their progress and their work.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices understand that bullying, harassment or any discriminatory behaviour is not tolerated. They know how to raise any concerns and are confident that issues would be dealt with by staff swiftly.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders provide apprentices with a helpful personal development curriculum that supports their wider learning. Apprentices confidently discuss the importance of promoting diversity in the workplace, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and know how to keep safe. Many apprentices engage in volunteering or charitable community activities. However, leaders acknowledge that these opportunities are not consistently available for all apprentices.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices receive useful careers education and tailored guidance, which helps them to make informed decisions about their future. Many apprentices progress on to higher levels of study when they complete their apprenticeship.

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

Learners and apprentices feel welcomed and very well supported at Kiwi & Yuzu. They feel that staff genuinely care about them, noting positively how they regularly check on their wellbeing alongside the progress they are making on their courses. Learners and apprentices are highly motivated. Most, including those with barriers to learning, make steady progress on their courses in line with their milestones and targets. Few fall behind or go past their planned end dates. Apprenticeship achievement rates on most apprenticeships are high.

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

Skills Bootcamp learners and apprentices are rightly proud of the new knowledge, skills and behaviours they have learned and the confidence they gain to apply them competently in the workplace. Learners and apprentices grow in confidence and become resilient. Care bootcamp learners gain employment in NHS trusts, where they now work confidently in patient-facing roles or provide administrative support, such as stocktaking. Employers value the contributions apprentices make at work, recognising that they become more productive and can take on additional responsibilities because of their training. For example, improvement leader apprentices introduce new processes and procedures that streamline the work of multi-agency safeguarding hubs. Team leader apprentices manage group dynamics competently and build staff rotas that carefully balance the needs of the team and the business.

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

Learners and apprentices learn in a supportive, caring environment. They understand about diversity and they are tolerant to the views of others even when they differ from their own. They appreciate the respectful professional relationships that staff create and quickly learn to mirror this. Bootcamp learners, many of whom had previously negative experiences of education, are respectful and supportive of each other, which builds the self-esteem of those in the group. Learners, many of whom applied for jobs unsuccessfully multiple times, thrive at Kiwi & Yuzu, where they are supported highly effectively to enter or re-enter the workforce.

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Next steps

Leaders should further improve the achievement rates on the small number of level 3 apprenticeships, where too many apprentices leave early. Leaders should improve the consistency of teaching, assessment and feedback on apprenticeships so apprentices on all programmes benefit from high-quality feedback that helps them know how to improve. Leaders should continue to strengthen their newly established systems and strategic planning and oversight of inclusion. Leaders should further develop a range of useful activities that provide apprentices and adult learners with the opportunity to develop their personal and social responsibility in the community

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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 senior leaders, governors, managers, trainers, learners, apprentices, employers, funding body and stakeholder group representatives during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Kiwi & Yuzi Ltd is an independent learning provider based in central Southampton. They teach apprenticeships and adult learners on Skills Bootcamps. The provider has dual marketing branding consisting of Yuzu Training and Kiwi Education. Historically, they were separate providers but combined in January 2024.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 145 apprentices in training. They were on a range of apprenticeships from level 2 to level 6, mainly in the business, accounting, hospitality and green skills sectors. Almost half were studying at level 3. All apprentices were aged 18 years of age or older.

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About this inspection

The provider teaches Skills Bootcamps in care, hospitality, retail, transport and green skills funded by Hampshire County Council, Oxford Council, Surrey Council, Kent Council and Solent Growth Partnership. At the time of the inspection visit, there were 147 adult learners enrolled.

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Team inspectors:

Ann Monaghan, His Majesty's Inspector Claire Griffin, Ofsted Inspector Emma Leavey, His Majesty's Inspector Roland White, 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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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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