How are apprenticeships being inspected and monitored in 2023?

What visits and inspections should schools expect to receive in the first year of their apprenticeship in order to ensure that high quality training is provided?

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on gov.uk

Ofsted inspects the quality of apprenticeship training to check that the quality of provision is of high-quality and meets the needs of both employers and apprentices. 

Inspections are intended to help to ensure the apprentices are given the opportunity to learn, develop and progress as they should. They also aim to help providers to improve and offer accountability for the public money used to fund apprenticeships.

New provider monitoring visits

New training providers should expect a monitoring visit from Ofsted within 24 months of enrolling their first apprentices; two days’ notice should be given ahead of the visit.

During these visits inspectors will make judgments on the progress made by the new provider and the outcomes achieved. A report of these visits will be published on Ofsted’s website. The outcome of the monitoring visit will determine the timing of the first full Ofsted inspection and, where necessary, any intervention action that must be taken.

Providers that are awarded ‘reasonable or ‘significant’ progress in their new provider monitoring visits will not always achieve ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ at their first full inspection. This is because progress must continue to be made, particularly in relation to any weaknesses identified by Ofsted first time round.

Full inspections

A full Ofsted inspection of the apprenticeship provision will be scheduled within 24 months of the first monitoring visit. During this inspection Ofsted inspectors will grade the:

• quality of education and training;
• quality of leadership and management;
• behaviour and attitudes of providers and apprentices;
• types of provision offered.

Consequences of being graded inadequate

Providers that receive an ‘inadequate’ grade for overall effectiveness will be removed from the register of apprenticeship training providers. Funding will be stopped once any apprentices that remain with the provider have completed their training.