'Good' Ofsted rating for degree and higher apprenticeships

The delivery of apprenticeship programmes at the University of Essex have been rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted inspectors.

Following an inspection in January, the University received an overall rating of ‘good’ plus ‘good’ ratings for all individual areas assessed including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

The Ofsted report said University of Essex apprentices “highly value their courses” and “appreciate the support they receive from their lecturers and personal tutors”.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education Professor Madeline Eacott said: “We are delighted our apprenticeship provision has received a rating of ‘good’ across all areas.

“The Ofsted report shows our highly effective model of partnership working with employers ensures that our apprentices receive a high-quality education and achieve excellent outcomes. We have plans to expand our apprenticeships programmes and so we’re really pleased to receive this very positive endorsement of our work.”

The University delivers a range of higher and degree apprenticeships covering a range of roles. This includes nursing, health, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological wellbeing, speech and language therapy, embedded electronic systems design and development engineering and senior leadership.

The report said “leaders, managers and academic teaching staff are highly ambitious for their apprentices” and said “leaders have invested in high-quality specialist resources” for courses.

Inspectors also noted close links with employers, particularly the NHS, which means “apprentices benefit from the most up-to-date content”. They also highlighted that most lecturers are “extremely well-qualified and experienced” which enhances the learning experience for apprentices.

The University is now reviewing the two areas which inspectors said could be improved.

However, overall the report was extremely positive: “Leaders and managers have ensured that apprentices receive a thorough career development programme,” the report stated. “As a result, apprentices understand the wide range of different career pathways available to them on completion of their apprenticeships.”

The inspection report also found that leaders actively seek and listen to their apprentices and the employers they work with. Inspectors reported: “Leaders act on this feedback to make continual improvements to the quality of their provision.”