By Charlotte Webster-
Care workers training at a Leytonstone academy have been criticised only “a limited understanding” of what they are learning
Limm Skills Academy on.Church Lane which runs apprenticeships for adult care workers, was exposed by Ofsted for not properly checking their work or giving “useful feedback”, according to a report on May 12.
Ofsted frequently inspects organisations within their remit, and present a report that reflects their strengths and weaknesses, making recommendations for change in some cases, and praising them in others.
The report, following an inspection on March 24, also found some apprentices’ work had “considerable omissions” or seemed to be plagiarised from others on the course.
The academy also offers apprenticeships in business management, yet the majority of trainees during the inspection were working towards a level 3 qualification in adult care work, qualifying them to be “lead frontline staff” in nursing homes.
Walter Mugisha, from Limm Skills, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the academy would work to improve on the areas of concern Ofsted had raised.
In her report, Ofsted inspector Gayle Saundry exposed the lack of expertise of apprentices in the field they work.
They wrote: “Apprentices are not able to clearly explain the new knowledge they have gained… or the content of the most recent work they have submitted.
“Portfolios of apprentices’ work seen by inspectors were incomplete with considerable omissions. Tutors do not adequately verify that apprentices’ work is their own and much is identical in different portfolios.
“Leaders rely heavily on the information provided by assessors and employers about apprentices’ progress, and this information is not always accurate.
“As a result, leaders are not aware of the strengths and areas of weakness within their apprenticeship, nor do they have in place appropriate plans to make improvements.”
She added that assessors do not provide “useful feedback” that is specific to each apprentice or even “accurately track the attendance” of apprentices at training.
The report is a blow to care workers, and further confirms that the lack of adequate training provided for the job, or the weakness or thee poor ability of the case workers in learning their trade.
In many cases, case workers have a weak academic foundation, which affects their ability to pick up what they are taught effectively.
There are many official posts occupied by individuals who are unqualified for the job, but who use contacts to get into professional careers, where they eventually perform badly.