CQM Training And Consultancy Limited

CQM Training And Consultancy Limited

Address: Unit 6, Dunston Innovation Centre, Dunston Road, Chesterfield, S41 8NG Unique reference number (URN): 1276409

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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

During the last year, leaders have strengthened their inclusion strategy and now have a sound approach in place to identify apprentices' needs and put in place the support they need.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Managers responsible for special educational needs and/or disabilities carry out in-depth learning support reviews with any apprentices who declare additional support needs and/or other barriers to learning. During these reviews, they carefully consider any adjustments that will help apprentices during their studies, such as extra processing time or frequent breaks. Apprentices value these discussions, which help to ensure their support needs are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Managers share relevant information about apprentices’ individual support needs, suggested teaching strategies and suitable adaptations with apprentices' coaches. Leaders have held a range of relevant training sessions for coaches, including reflective activities about barriers to learning, teaching adaptations and reasonable adjustments. As a result, coaches have a reasonable understanding of current apprentices’ support needs and apply the necessary adjustments well in their teaching sessions.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Coaches revisit apprentices’ support arrangements during progress reviews and discuss any changes required. They also check on apprentices’ general wellbeing and any wider pastoral issues that could become barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work well with employers to shape the curriculum. They provide additional qualifications and adjust course content so that training replicates what apprentices experience in their workplaces.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have an appropriate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the training they offer, which they gain through a range of suitable quality assurance processes. They take timely and sensible actions to remedy weaknesses.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Board members and leaders work effectively to develop and review their strategic approach in response to changes in funding and assessment reforms. Leaders and board members prioritise apprentices' experiences in their decision-making, for example retaining in-person functional skills teaching regardless of the additional costs.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide board members with clear and detailed performance information. Board members scrutinise and challenge leaders appropriately on themes, such as financial management. However, board members' limited expertise in curriculum limits the extent to which they can support and scrutinise the ongoing improvements in training standards.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide coaches with a range of suitable training that helps them improve their skills in areas, such as online teaching and ways to check learning. However, leaders are yet to ensure that the training coaches receive results in consistently high-quality training across all programmes. Leaders are mindful of staff workloads. They carefully plan, frequently review and adjust coaches’ caseloads. Staff benefit from wellbeing and recognition initiatives, such as social events, time off work for volunteering and staff achievement awards.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most apprentices make positive progress from their starting points. Overall achievement rates have improved and are now broadly in line with national rates. Apprentices on level 2 and 4 courses achieve particularly positively. Historically, apprentices on level 3 food technologist and level 5 improvement specialist courses have achieved less well. Leaders have taken recent effective actions to address this, including re-designing the curriculum, improving sequencing and revising delivery models.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop the intended knowledge, skills and behaviours and apply them confidently in their roles. They use technical tools, such as hazard analysis and critical control points, data analysis software and leadership models, with increasing accuracy. Apprentices with identified support needs make sound progress.

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Achievement Expected standard

Preparation for apprentices' next steps is effective. Apprentices understand how their courses support their career aims. Almost all apprentices go on to sustained employment. Many apprentices gain promotion or increased responsibilities during or after their apprenticeship.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders review course performance frequently and make appropriate adjustments to raise standards. They have, for example, successfully adjusted the order of topics on the level 5 improvement specialist apprenticeship to help apprentices make better progress. Additionally, changes made to the teaching model for the level 3 food technologist apprenticeship markedly improved the retention of apprentices.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is well thought out and appropriately sequenced so apprentices build their knowledge and master concepts over time. Coaches move from foundational concepts to topics involving more complex application. Level 3 improvement technician apprentices, for example, advance from lean principles to structured, 5-step problem-solving methods. Coaches use their subject knowledge and broad range of relevant industry experience to teach with credibility and accuracy. They contextualise learning well and help apprentices understand how technical concepts apply in real workplace settings. Coaches break down complex information into manageable components effectively. They introduce technical processes methodically and use clear definitions, examples and visual representations to support apprentices' understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Coaches teach technical vocabulary well. They introduce terms, such as process capability and empirical rules, clearly and reinforce their meaning through practical examples, such as histograms or real production data. This helps apprentices use terminology correctly, both in their written work and during workplace discussions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Coaches use a range of activities to assess apprentices’ understanding and knowledge, but the effectiveness of these approaches varies. Many coaches use probing questions and frequent, structured retrieval tasks to thoroughly assess apprentices' understanding and recall of previous topics. However, in other cases, coaches do this less well. They do not extend questioning far enough and do not do an accurate enough check on apprentices' understanding and progress.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Coaches promote inclusive practice well. They identify barriers to learning early and provide suitable support, including assistive technology, adapted resources and reasonable adjustments.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Coaches successfully create respectful and supportive learning environments. Apprentices value their coaches’ reassuring support and trust coaches would respond swiftly and appropriately to resolve issues that may raise.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders and coaches set clear expectations for apprentices to attend all training sessions. Leaders monitor attendance closely. Across all cohorts, apprentices’ attendance and punctuality are high. Coaches promptly follow up the very small number of apprentices who do not attend lessons and provide effective support to help them catch up.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of apprentices’ wider development needs. They provide a suitable personal development offer that supports apprentices to broaden their knowledge beyond the technical requirements of their courses. Apprentices learn about topics, such as mental and physical health and healthy relationships. Apprentices further benefit from monthly newsletters that promote wellbeing, cultural awareness and employability.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from appropriate guidance about their future career pathways. Coaches discuss apprentices' next steps during reviews. Apprentices also take part in structured discussions with their line managers about progression opportunities in their workplaces. Leaders provide apprentices with useful information, such as higher education progression packs and occupational maps that help apprentices to gain impartial information about career opportunities.

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

Apprentices enjoy their courses and greatly appreciate the welcoming, respectful and collaborative environment. They work closely with peers in their cohorts, which helps them exchange ideas, compare workplace processes and develop a broader understanding of different organisations.

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

Apprentices especially value how well structured, purposeful and relevant their training is. They experience a curriculum that is carefully aligned to their individual needs and employment contexts. Although apprentices find the content technically challenging, their experienced coaches help them to link complex concepts to their own workplaces.

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

Apprentices praise the effective individual coaching sessions they attend. Their coaches give them very helpful developmental feedback on their personalised projects, encourage self-reflection and continuous improvement. Apprentices value how their coaches inspire them to strive for higher work standards.

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

Apprentices learn about a range of relevant topics that generally interest them. These include digital safety, healthy relationships, the importance of fundamental British values and cultural differences.

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

Apprentices demonstrate enhanced technical knowledge and skills as a result of their training. Level 4 improvement practitioner apprentices, for example, are confident to use models of organisational change in the workplace to initiate and secure change. Level 5 improvement specialist apprentices devise strategic projects, complete thoughtful stakeholder analysis and use data collection tools with increasing accuracy.

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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. Most current apprentices make positive progress and level 5 improvement specialist apprentices now benefit from a redesigned and improved curriculum.

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

Apprentices value the professional industry-recognised qualifications they gain. They are keen to progress further in their careers and take on promotions or more strategic roles in their respective organisations. Employers rightly recognise the way apprentices develop as they approach the completion of their studies. Typically, apprentices start to take on significant new responsibilities within their roles, such as leading projects, managing teams and chairing meetings.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to review, update and tailor their curriculums to apprentices’ needs, and support sustained improvements in apprentices’ outcomes. Leaders should strengthen external oversight so that board members can support and challenge them regarding the quality of training that apprentices receive. Leaders should enhance their coaches’ professional learning so that their teaching is of a consistently high standard across all courses.

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Team inspectors:

Russ Henry, His Majesty's Inspector Helen Whelan, His Majesty's Inspector Nikki Brady, His Majesty's Inspector Mark Care, 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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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, board members, development coaches, employers and apprentices 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

CQM Training and Consultancy Limited is an independent training provider offering apprenticeships at levels 2 to 5. Most apprentices study the level 4 improvement practitioner, the level 3 food industry technologist, or the level 5 improvement specialist apprenticeships. Leaders offer training online or in-person from employers’ premises.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 248 apprentices in training, almost all of whom were aged 19 and over. A small number of adult apprentices study functional skills English and mathematics.

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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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