BOSSES at an East Lancashire training provider have come under fire after education inspectors found that too many students on some courses were not finding jobs or progressing to other courses.

Blackburn-based Training 2000 was told by Ofsted that it ‘requires improvement’ after it was inspected in February.

In the report, inspectors said the ‘leaders and managers have not ensured that 16-19 study programmes fully meet the needs of learners and many do not complete all aspects of programmes’.

They found that the managers do not have ‘effective measures to improve weak teaching, learning and assessment’.

The report said: “A high proportion of study programme learners on pre-employment and administration courses do not progress to other courses, training or gain jobs.”

Training 2000 is one of the largest group training associations in the UK and provided education for 1,500 learners in the past year, including 953 on apprenticeships at intermediate, advanced and higher levels.

It has more than 50 years’ experience in the training sector and employs around 240 people. Bosses say they ‘promote a unique and rewarding culture, where each employee is valued for their individual contribution to the company’s success.’

The provider was told it was good in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, then personal development and welfare, and good for apprenticeships.

However, the quality of the 16-19 study programmes was rated as ‘requiring improvement’.

The report said: “Learners on study programmes are not receiving the same quality of teaching, learning and assessment as apprentices.”

Also there were fears ‘apprentices and learners do not improve skills in written English well enough, such as the ones who study engineering.’

Inspectors gave recommendations for how Training 2000 could improve its rating.

It has to ‘increase the pace of improvement’ so that achievement rates on 16-19 programmes improve rapidly.

Also ‘accurate data’ should be collected on study programme learners which should mean that a ‘greater proportion of learners progress to further education, training or employment’.

It also needs to improve teaching, assessment for study programme learners and ‘reinforce the importance of regular attendance in lessons and provide feedback on work that is clear’.

A spokesperson for Training 2000 said: “A complaint, made by the Board of Training 2000 in relation to the overall outcome of the inspection, is currently being investigated by Ofsted. It would therefore be inappropriate to make any further comment.”