INSPECTION REPORT Defence Munitions Gosport 20 August 2001 DEFENCE MUNITIONS GOSPORT Grading Inspectors use a seven-point scale to summarise their judgements about the quality of learning sessions. The descriptors for the seven grades are: • grade 1 - excellent • grade 2 - very good • grade 3 - good • grade 4 - satisfactory • grade 5 - unsatisfactory • grade 6 - poor • grade 7 - very poor. Inspectors use a five-point scale to summarise their judgements about the quality of provision in occupational/curriculum areas and in New Deal options. The same scale is used to describe the quality of leadership and management, which includes quality assurance and equality of opportunity. The descriptors for the five grades are: • grade 1 - outstanding • grade 2 - good • grade 3 - satisfactory • grade 4 - unsatisfactory • grade 5 - very weak. The two grading scales relate to each other as follows: SEVEN-POINT SCALE FIVE-POINT SCALE grade 1 grade 1 grade 2 grade 3 grade 2 grade 4 grade 3 grade 5 grade 4 grade 6 grade 5 grade 7 DEFENCE MUNITIONS GOSPORT Adult Learning Inspectorate The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) was established under the provisions of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 to bring the inspection of all aspects of adult learning and work-based training within the remit of a single inspectorate. The ALI is responsible for inspecting a wide range of government-funded learning, including: • work-based training for all people over 16 • provision in further education colleges for people aged 19 and over • the University for Industry’s learndirect provision • adult and community learning • training given by the Employment Service under the New Deals. Inspections are carried out in accordance with the Common Inspection Framework by teams of full-time inspectors and part-time associate inspectors who have knowledge of, and experience in, the work which they inspect. All providers are invited to nominate a senior member of their staff to participate in the inspection as a team member. Inadequate provision A provider’s provision will normally be deemed to be less than adequate where • one third or more of published grades for occupational/curriculum areas and New Deal options are judged less than satisfactory, or • leadership and management are judged to be less than satisfactory The final decision as to whether the provision is inadequate rests with the Chief Inspector of Adult Learning. The overall judgement as to whether the provision is adequate or inadequate is included in the summary section of the inspection report. DEFENCE MUNITIONS GOSPORT SUMMARY The provider Defence Munitions Gosport is a Ministry of Defence establishment. Its function is to maintain, process, store and distribute ammunition and weapons, primarily for the Royal Navy. The depot provides craft apprenticeships in mechanical and electrical engineering for young people. Overall judgement The quality of the provision is adequate to meet the reasonable needs of the learners. More specifically, the work-based training in engineering are satisfactory as are the leadership and management of the defence munitions apprenticeship scheme at Gosport. Work-based learning for young people At the time of the inspection, there were 15 advanced modern apprentices in training at the Gosport depot. Retention and achievement rates on the apprenticeship programme are good. Assessment in the workplace is well planned and thorough, but many learners have an inadequate understanding of the national vocational qualification (NVQ) and of key skills. Records of learning plans are unsatisfactory and some plans fail to take account of learners’ achievements before joining the training scheme. Leadership and management Leadership and management are satisfactory. There is a well-established framework for the training of learners and the training is managed effectively to meet the current and projected business needs of the depot. Staff have worked hard to minimise the disruption to training brought about by the organisational changes recently imposed on the depot. Workplace supervisors are not adequately involved in the assessment of learners’ competence against NVQ and key skills criteria. The training programme is not sufficiently flexible to provide for the specific needs of individual learners. Monitoring of equality of opportunity in the workplace is inadequate. GRADES Engineering, technology & manufacturing 3 Contributory grades: Work-based learning for young people 3 1 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE DEFENCE MUNITIONS GOSPORT Leadership and management 3 Contributory grades: Equality of opportunity 4 Quality assurance 3 KEY STRENGTHS • high achievement rates • comprehensive and thorough assessment of level 3 NVQ • well-managed schemes of training KEY WEAKNESSES • inadequate individual learning plans • little or no recognition of learners’ previous achievements • inadequate involvement of workplace supervisors in NVQ and key skills training • inadequate checks on the impact of equal opportunities policies OTHER IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED • better communication between staff on learners’ progress at level 3 NVQ • better planning of the development and assessment of key skills • creation of a clear quality assurance cycle • closer monitoring of the standard of service from main subcontractor ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 2 DEFENCE MUNITIONS GOSPORT THE PROVIDER AND ITS CONTEXT 1. Defence Munitions (DM) Gosport is located on a 450 acre site on the western shore of Portsmouth harbour. The depot provides a wide range of ammunition and weapon maintenance activities, and processing and warehousing facilities for explosive and non- explosive stores. Its main tasks include the servicing of guided weapons, engineering support, explosives maintenance, calibration, small arms and gun processing, and storage. Despite the significant reduction in the number of staff employed at DM Gosport in recent years, the annual intake of learners has been maintained at eight or nine. The modern apprenticeship programme in engineering maintenance is run alongside the Ministry of Defence (MOD) standards based apprentice training (SBAT) scheme. The apprenticeship is arranged over three phases and lasts between 32 and 42 months. Training over the first 15 months is subcontracted to a local college. The remainder of the programme is given over to on-the-job training in planned work placements across the DM Gosport site. The training team comprises an apprentice training manager and two apprentice training officers. Learner training is funded through a contract with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Learning and Skills Council (LSC). 2. DM Gosport recruits new learners mainly from the local authority districts of Fareham and Gosport. Fareham is an affluent urban area with many small and medium-sized businesses. The town of Gosport has one major road serving the area and public transport facilities are poor. There is a ferry boat service for foot passengers to Portsmouth. The running down of the large naval and MOD establishments, which have been a traditional feature of this area, and the closure of several large manufacturing companies, have increased the levels of social and economic deprivation. In June 2001, the unemployment rate was 1.9 per cent in Gosport, 0.9 per cent in Fareham and 1.5 per cent in the Hampshire LSC area. However, earlier in the same year, the unemployment rate in certain parts of Gosport was as high as 9 per cent and youth unemployment in Gosport as a whole is the highest in southeast Hampshire. In a recent skills audit, 33 per cent of the economically active population of Gosport were identified as having no qualifications. In 2000, the proportion of school leavers achieving five or more general certificates of secondary education (GCSEs) at grade C and above was 43 per cent in Gosport and 55 per cent in Fareham compared with 49.2 per cent nationally. At the time of the 1991 census, minority ethnic groups represented approximately 1 per cent of the population of Gosport and Fareham and 2.6 per cent of the population of Portsmouth compared with the national average of 6.2 per cent. 3 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE DEFENCE MUNITIONS GOSPORT THE INSPECTION 3. Three inspectors spent a total of 12 days with DM Gosport in August 2001. Inspectors interviewed nine of the current learners and four learners who had recently completed their training. They visited six work-placement areas on the Gosport site, met seven workplace supervisors/apprentice masters, and interviewed the assessor, internal verifier and five other staff from DM Gosport. Inspectors also visited two local colleges and met the heads of engineering to discuss subcontracted training. Inspectors examined 17 learners’ personal files, eight portfolios of NVQ and key skills evidence, contracts, policy statements, internal and external verifiers’ reports, assessment plans, minutes of meetings, promotional materials, induction packs, the latest self-assessment report and action plan. They also observed and graded two level 3 NVQ assessment sessions. Grades awarded to learning sessions Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Total Engineering, technology & 011000 02 manufacturing Total 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 4 DEFENCE MUNITIONS GOSPORT OCCUPATIONAL AREAS Engineering, technology & manufacturing Grade 3 Programmes inspected Number of Contributory learners grade Work-based learning for young people 15 3 4. DM Gosport offers advanced modern apprenticeships in mechanical and electrical engineering for young people aged