Connect 2 Care And Hit Training Celebrate ‘Good’ Ofsted Rating

National care skills development and training provider Connect 2 Care (C2C) is celebrating after its parent company, HIT Training Ltd, received a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted inspectors – the third time running that the company has been given the Grade 2 ranking.

The company received particular praise for the way in which its apprentices progress, qualify and contribute to the workplace. The majority of them, Ofsted inspectors said, achieved their qualifications within the planned time and while their contributions to the workplace often exceeded employers’ expectations, the apprentices also made good progress in their careers by gaining promotions or continuing with higher training.

The Ofsted report also highlighted how learners in health and social care settings showed increased confidence in handling clients with diverse needs, have a high level of health and safety awareness, and understand and meet the dietary and hydration requirements of clients well. Equally importantly, the report recognised that learners ‘on all programmes’ enjoy their training and quickly develop their vocational skills and knowledge.

The report also highlighted the positive way in which Connect 2 Care and HIT’s senior managers work ‘very effectively’ with employers and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to develop the curriculum to meet the needs of the care, hospitality and catering sectors.

“We’re delighted that we have once again received a grade 2 ‘Good’ rating which very comfortably sits back to back with the ‘Good’ from our previous inspection three years ago,” commented Sara Goldie, Operations Director of C2C. “This is affirmation of all the great work that our teams and apprentices are doing all over the country, and confirmation that Connect 2 Care is working effectively to train and prepare our apprentices for careers in the increasingly demanding and challenging care sector.”

Key Findings from the Report

Outcomes for Learners

• Learners on all programmes enjoy their training, which often takes place in high quality workplaces that enable them to develop their skills quickly. Consequently, apprentices gain confidence in their job roles and many make contributions to their workplaces which exceed their employers’ expectations.
• Most apprentices develop good skills in English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT).
• A high proportion of intermediate apprentices who complete their programmes move on to higher levels of training. The majority of apprentices on all programmes make good progress in advancing their careers by gaining promotions or taking on additional responsibilities.

Quality of Teaching, Learning and Assessment

• Assessors use their occupational experience to good effect to develop learners’ competence and skills to work effectively in their job roles. They liaise effectively with employers who support apprentices’ training well, and ensure that apprentices continue to learn between reviews and assessments.
• Learners on all programmes are motivated well and have positive attitudes to learning.
• Learners develop good personal and social skills which increase their effectiveness at work. Many apprentices take on extra responsibilities during training.

A full version of the 2015 Ofsted report is available to view at http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/57860 or for further information about health and social care apprenticeships, contact Connect 2 Care on 0800 954 2803 or visit www.connect2care.net