Ofsted round-up – This week: Brighter Prospects Ltd and PFTP receive results

Brighter Prospects Limited, Winchester

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

Achievement and standards Satisfactory: Grade 3

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

Sector subject areas:

Literacy and numeracy Satisfactory: Grade 3

Business, administration and law Satisfactory: Grade 3

Brighter Prospects Ltd (BPL) is a private training provider based in Eastleigh town centre and offers Learndirect courses funded by University for Industry (UfI) and Pitman Training qualifications funded by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight LSC as Train to Gain programmes. Government funded training accounts for about 75% of BPL’s income, with BPL offering Train to Gain programmes in ICT and health and social care, as well as other employability training programmes funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and other government funding. At the time of the inspection there were 280 learners following Train to Gain programmes in business, administration and law.

BPL’s overall effectiveness was found to be satisfactory with BPL’s arrangements for equality of opportunity being good. Ofsted has noted that BPL demonstrates satisfactory capacity to improve. Although BPL has well-established arrangements for the self-assessment of its learndirect provision, 2007/08 was the first year of the Train to Gain contract.

2007/08 was the first year of the Train to Gain contract. BPL recruited very few learners until the spring of 2008; nevertheless the 2007/08 self-assessment report (SAR) contains a broadly accurate picture of the quality of this new Train to Gain provision. The report correctly identified most of the strengths and areas for improvement found by inspectors. Key strengths include good development of learners’ skills and knowledge, effective individual coaching, good initiatives to engage employers, particularly flexible and accessible learning programmes and strong and successful action to widen participation and increase employability.

Success rates for the learndirect provision have improved steadily over the last three years although they remain around the national averages. BPL recognised that its management information system was not able to provide the data it needed to manage the Train to gain provision and quickly designed a suitable system for recording learners’ progress. BPL recognises that it has carried out insufficient observations of the quality of key activities on the Train to Gain programmes, although these are now planned.

Profit from Training Partnership, Warwickshire

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade3

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

Achievement and standards Satisfactory: Grade 3

Quality of provision Good: Grade 2

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Engineering and manufacturing technology Satisfactory: Grade 3

Profit from Training Partnership Ltd (PFTP) was established in 1996 as a private training company. Its administration centre is in Nuneaton. It has a contract with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to provide apprenticeship and Train to Gain programmes in vehicle fitting. Learners are employed by small independent tyre fitting companies. Two thirds of PFTP’s operation is fulfilling a contract with Goodyear/Dunlop, to provide all of its off the job training nationally.

Ofsted found the overall effectiveness of PFTP to be satisfactory with achievement and standards being satisfactory also. Learners were found to gain good skills in the workplace and make steady progress throughout their qualification. The quality of provision was found to be good overall with instructors and assessors being knowledgeable and experienced. PFTP demonstrated a satisfactory capacity to improve as PFTP has focused on developing more formal arrangements for quality assurance to improve the quality of training.

The self-assessment report is satisfactory with all staff being involved in monitoring the quality of training and understanding their roles and responsibilities clearly. The self-assessment report takes account of analysis of the views of learners and employers. Although the report is evaluative and judgements in the main reflect the strengths and areas for improvement identified by inspectors, some of the strengths were overstated and some areas for improvement were not fully recognised in the provider report. Key strengths include good on job skills development, highly responsive provision to meet learner and employer needs, good personal support for learners, good operational management and good action to improve the quality of provision.

Ofsted found achievements and standards to be satisfactory overall, which identified accurately in PFTP’s self-assessment report. Date available is based on Goodyear recruitment, as PFTP did not have their own contract before October 2008. These success rates have improved from a new low base and are now at national average. PFTP are satisfactory for apprenticeships with 65% of leavers achieving their full framework overall. Timely success rates remain low at 51%. Achievement of technical certificates and key skills is improving at a similar rate and learner progress information indicates that timely rates are improving.

Natalie Hailes