UEA’s apprenticeship provision rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted
By: Communications
UEA’s apprenticeship provision has achieved a ‘Good’ rating across all judgement themes in a report published by Ofsted following its first ever inspection in December 2023.
At the time of the inspection, which took place between 5 – 8 December 2023, there were 717 apprentices in learning, primarily in subjects relating to health and social care, nursing, and leadership Apprenticeship Standards offered by UEA range from level 3 to level 7.
Ofsted, The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, is responsible for reporting on the quality of educational institutions under four ratings – 1 (Outstanding), 2 (Good), 3 (Requires improvement), 4 (Inadequate).
UEA’s apprenticeship provision was rated ‘Good’ across the board under the following themes:
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The quality of education
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Behaviour and attitudes
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Personal development
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Leadership and management
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Apprenticeships
Prof Zoe Butterfint, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Partnerships & Apprenticeships and Professor of Health Sciences Education, said:
“As an outcome to our first full Ofsted inspection as an education provider for apprenticeships provision, this judgement of ‘good’ across all themes is a fantastic achievement. It’s testament to all the hard work that has gone into the apprenticeships we offer since their inception in 2018. It reflects not only the hard work, but the dedication and commitment of all those involved, including apprenticeship course teams, the UEA Apprenticeship Team and wider Academic and Professional Services colleagues.”
The report highlighted the personal care that apprentices receive from UEA, saying:
‘Apprentices receive highly effective support from staff at the university . They have the confidence to ask questions, to apply their learning at work and to learn from mistakes. Apprentices feel cared for and know whom to talk to should they have any academic or personal concerns.’
The report also praised the leadership of the provision, noting that the networks nurtured and maintained with regional employers is key in providing opportunities that relate directly to the needs of the labour market:
‘Leaders have highly effective relationships with local health service employers and their associated professional bodies. They ensure that training programmes for each apprenticeship meet the current needs of the workforce.’
The in-depth training programme for the each apprenticeship standard is tailored specifically to the requirements of each role, something that ensures the learners, as noted in the report, ‘gain the skills they need to prepare them for success in the future’, ‘develop quickly the skills required to manage themselves and others in their challenging professional roles’ and ‘learn to talk to patients, clinical staff and their peers with confidence and authority’.
Prof Zoe Butterfint is keen to highlight the efforts of staff before, during and after the inspection, saying:
“I’m so grateful to everyone for all their on-going hard work in this portfolio, and am really proud of the way all areas of UEA pulled together, often late into the night, to support what was a week of incredibly intense activity.”
A copy of the report is available on Ofsted’s website
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