WEC Group Limited

WEC Group Limited

Address: WEC Group Engineering Academy, Premier Way, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 2JU Unique reference number (URN): 2791029

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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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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders offer apprenticeships in their business to develop the next generation of world-class welders. They know that providing high-quality apprenticeships is essential to the growth and development of their business and in providing employment in the local communities in which they operate. Leaders provide training to apprentices in their purpose-built academy using cutting-edge, industry-standard equipment.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors understand the strengths and weaknesses of the apprenticeships. Generally, effective quality assurance processes ensure that where leaders identify areas for improvement, they mostly take appropriate action to rectify weaknesses. Experienced governors, who are experts in welding and/or apprenticeships, challenge leaders effectively to make improvements and closely monitor the impact of actions taken.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Instructors are well qualified and experts in the engineering industry. Many are welding inspectors. They benefit from training in, for example, safeguarding and health and safety. They attend training and study for qualifications to update their technical welding and inspection skills. However, staff do not routinely participate in training to develop their teaching skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders closely monitor instructors’ workloads through frequent check-ins, caseload reviews and weekly staff meetings. They genuinely care about instructors’ wellbeing. Leaders support instructors through personal matters such as caring responsibilities and offer flexible working. Staff benefit from incentives such as private health care and life insurance, and finish work at 2pm on Fridays to recognise their hard work and commitment to apprentices.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have established an accessible and equitable learning environment in which apprentices feel valued. Apprentices appreciate the informal support that they receive from instructors that helps them to reduce barriers to their learning. Leaders identify apprentices with additional responsibilities such as caring roles and provide appropriate support such as adaptations to working hours and extensions for submission of written assessments. Leaders use a range of suitable assessment strategies to identify the needs of apprentices before they start their apprenticeship. Leaders quickly identify apprentices’ personal and learning support needs. However, leaders do not use the results of these assessments to help instructors to plan, record and review support strategies and interventions so that, where applicable, instructors can increase, reduce or withdraw support over time.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Instructors have not received sufficient training in inclusive practice to provide them with the information they need to be able to support apprentices fully and reduce barriers to their learning, such as autism and dyslexia. Current apprentices who have barriers to learning make good use of their own coping strategies.

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Achievement Expected standard

The first cohort of apprentices’ final assessments are imminent. Almost all apprentices who need to study English and mathematics as part of their apprenticeship achieve their qualifications at the first attempt. Apprentices’ written and practical work are of a high standard.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices learn substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours that help them to be successful at work. They complete varied welding jobs, applying welding skills to a strict tolerance of 2 millimetres. Apprentices skilfully fit bearings and assemble parts to test whether components work together. They safely use a range of equipment such as guillotines, bandsaws and oxy fuel torches.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most apprentices, including those with barriers to their learning, make effective progress on their apprenticeship.

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Achievement Expected standard

When they finish their apprenticeship, most apprentices move into permanent employment. Many go on to achieve higher coded welding qualifications and take on additional duties in their job roles.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of training that apprentices receive. The apprenticeships are specifically designed to bridge the engineering and welding skills gaps facing them and the wider engineering industry. Leaders plan and sequence the curriculums effectively so that apprentices build on the knowledge they learn in previous lessons. Level 3 plate welding apprentices develop a range of rudimentary hand skills before developing and honing their welding skills. They build on this by achieving additional coded welding qualifications to demonstrate they can meet the high and exacting welding industry safety and quality standards. Apprentices move smoothly through their training, working in many different areas of the business to master their skills. They become trusted members of their work teams.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Instructors teach an accessible curriculum for apprentices. They support apprentices to make at least their expected progress from their starting points. For instance, instructors ensure that apprentices with dyslexia have additional time to complete their job write-ups. Apprentices appreciate the support that they receive from instructors.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

In theory and practical workshop lessons, instructors generally explain key concepts well. They help apprentices learn through useful step-by-step demonstrations and ensure that apprentices understand a broad range of technical vocabulary including wire feed speed, polarity, interpass temperature and distortion control.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Instructors give clear feedback to apprentices on their work that tells them what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. However, instructors do not provide specific feedback to apprentices about the skills that they need to acquire, in order to achieve distinction grades in their final assessments.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders proudly celebrate the success of their apprentices. They hold annual apprentice of the year awards to highlight the hard work, skills and achievements of apprentices. Leaders ensure that apprentices receive suitable industry-specific careers information that helps them to make decisions about their next steps. Many apprentices aspire to work as welders on oil rigs and abroad.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders ensure that apprentices complete a range of additional training and qualifications, such as use of overhead cranes, abrasive wheels, manual handling, non-destructive testing and coded welding.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices contribute to their local communities by participating in a broad range of projects. They create Remembrance Day sculptures, a notice board for a community park and sculptures which they sell to raise funds for local hospices.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from training on mental and physical health and healthy relationships. They watch informative videos such as Kayleigh’s love story about the online grooming of vulnerable young men. They have engaging discussions with peers and instructors about misogyny, upskirting, sexual consent and sexual harassment. Apprentices feel safe at work and have not experienced any bullying or harassment. They know how to report any concerns that they may have about themselves or others.

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

Apprentices are committed to their studies and have high attendance to their training. They appreciate how instructors help them to develop new knowledge and skills and to consolidate and further develop the skills they already have to become expert welders. Apprentices enjoy their training.

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

Apprentices work closely with their managers and instructors to plan their training. They relish applying their learning in the workplace and practising their new welding skills until they become highly proficient. They feel part of the WEC family and appreciate that their professional curiosity is welcomed by their colleagues.

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

Leaders instil in apprentices the importance of working safely and always following the critical safety expectations of the welding industry. Apprentices put safety first. They follow instructions, assess risk, wear the right protective equipment and use tools and equipment in the correct way. Apprentices speak up if something does not feel right or they see something that is unsafe. They look after themselves and each other.

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

Apprentices raise money for charity by running the Race for Life, participating in charity golf days, midnight memory walks and the Barcelona marathon. Many apprentices help at open evenings for prospective new apprentices.

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

In recognition of outstanding craftmanship and consistently high-quality work, leaders award an apprentice with the in-house Welding Excellence Award every month. Many apprentices participate and are successful in competitions and events such as WorldSkills. Apprentices are rightly proud of their achievements.

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

Apprentices benefit from guest speakers from the emergency services, including the fire brigade who talk about lives wasted through drink, drug and reckless driving. They learn about knife crime from Lancashire Police. Working closely with the police, apprentices have designed and constructed a knife bench from seized weapons. This is now on exhibition at Blackburn Cathedral and will be touring Lancashire.

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Next steps

Leaders should provide instructors with appropriate training to develop their teaching skills, so that all apprentices experience high-quality teaching and training. Leaders should provide instructors with training on how to plan, implement and review support for apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning, so that instructors, where appropriate, know when to reduce, increase or withdraw support. Leaders should ensure that instructors provide clear feedback to apprentices on the skills that they need to master to achieve distinction grades in their final assessments. Leaders should further embed high-quality careers education and guidance throughout the curriculum.

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Lead inspector:

Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Kim Bleasdale, His Majesty's Inspector Daniel Braithwaite, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 11 August 2026

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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 and managers, instructors, employers, governors and apprentices during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The WEC Group is one of the largest engineering and fabrication companies in Europe. The company runs its own in-house training academy, offering apprenticeships in welding and fabrication. At the time of the inspection, there were 68 apprentices in learning across sites in Blackburn, Rotherham and Coventry. There were 62 apprentices studying the level 3 plate welder and 6 were studying the level 2 general welder apprenticeship. There were 52 apprentices aged 16 to 18. Almost all apprentices were male.

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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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