The Care Learning Centre (CLC), who specialise in offering apprenticeships in the health and care sector, have dropped from a ‘Good’ rating with Ofsted to ‘Requires improvement’.
The organisation was inspected in March 2023 – its first inspection since June 2016 – with around 375 apprentices on standards-based apprenticeships.
Inadequate teaching time
The inspector found that although most apprentices demonstrated a positive attitude towards their learning, were punctual and attended their planned sessions well, they did not get adequate teaching time to cover the whole curriculum or visit topics in depth.
Apprentices promoted to more senior positions
Given the skills shortages in the health and social care sector since Covid-19, leaders at CLC have developed a curriculum to provide valuable training for new and existing staff.
However, the inspector found that as a result, many apprentices are promoted to more senior positions while undertaking or on completion of their apprenticeship.
Support for additional needs
The inspector also found that CLC have not ensured that all apprentices with additional needs and barriers to learning benefit from sufficient specialist teaching strategies to overcome their difficulty in learning.
As a result, not all apprentices’ needs are met in order to be able to make expected progress.
Communication with employers
According to the report, trainers do not always communicate effectively with employers about apprentices’ learning and progress.
Consequently, some employers do not provide apprentices with adequate time to complete off-the-job training or are fully aware of what apprentices should be learning or practicing to be able to effectively support them in the workplace.
Improvements required
In order to move back up to a ‘Good’ rating, CLC must make the following improvements:
- Leaders and managers need to plan the curriculum to provide adequate time for trainers to teach all the knowledge, skills and behaviours required.
- Leaders and managers need to ensure employers understand the progress their apprentices are making to be able to effectively support their training.
- Managers and trainers need to ensure that apprentices with learning difficulties or disabilities develop new and substantial knowledge, skills and behaviours quickly and securely.
- Leaders and managers need to provide an age-appropriate personal development programme that fully supports apprentices’ individual needs and provides them opportunities to fully explore possibilities open to them.
- Leaders and managers need to ensure that all apprentices are supported to continually improve their English and mathematics abilities.
You can read the full report on the Ofsted Website, or see it embedded below for your convenience.
Image: National Cancer Institute under CC BY 2.0
