The first training provider visited as part of Ofsted’s increased focus on new apprenticeship training providers was found to have made insufficient progress in all areas.

Key6 Group Limited, which currently provides training for 208 apprentices was visited from February 15-16. Ofsted’s inspector said apprenticeships are “not fit for purpose,” tutors had been “ineffective in providing apprentices with at least a good standard of training,” and “safeguarding arrangements are not effective.”

The monitoring visit to the provider based in Birkenhead, Merseyside was undertaken as part of a series of monitoring visits to a sample of new apprenticeship training providers that are funded through the apprenticeship levy.

‘Worst-case scenario’

Speaking exclusively to Tes last month Mr Joyce said the purpose of the early visits was to make sure the “foundations or the building blocks to ensure good quality provision” were in place.

“If we find a provider doesn’t have in place what they should have in place at this moment in time they may end up with a series of ‘insufficient progress’ judgements,” Joyce explained.

“Depending on what inspectors find that may mean that we bring their inspection forward so in the worst-case scenario, if inspectors were really really concerned about what they found on a monitoring visit, we could convert that monitoring visit into an inspection and we could find that provider to be ‘inadequate’ and it is for the funding agency to take whatever action they wish to take.”

Inspector’s findings

• Directors had “failed to ensure that there is strategic direction or effective operational management of their apprenticeship programmes” resulting in most apprentices receiving a poor standard of training;

• Most learners who started their apprenticeship between July and September 2017 had not completed any work, and have attended only four one-day workshops and two one-to-one sessions;

• Directors had been slow to act on the negative feedback received from apprentices with many leaving before completing their apprenticeship;

• Tutors had been ineffective in providing apprentices with at least a good standard of training;

• Directors did not ensure that apprentices received their apprenticeship entitlement to off-the-job training, with the inspector stating: “Too many apprentices are unable to attend off-the-job training due to high workloads.”

Key6 Group was formed in 2015 by two co-founding directors and the chairman. In July 2017, they started training apprentices funded through the apprenticeship levy, swiftly recruiting apprentices in a relatively short space of time.

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