Bradford Council Skills for Work given 'Good' Ofsted rating

A report by Ofsted into the council’s Skills for Work department, based at Chapel Street, Bradford, has been published and it rates the overall service as good.

The report follows an inspection in April during which a team of inspectors from the education watchdog visited learning sessions, looked at learners' work, spoke to learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examined Skills for Work’s documentation and records.

Skills for Work, based at Chapel Street, Bradford, has been rated good by Ofsted (Image: Newsquest)

Skills for Work offers part-time courses and apprenticeships to adults and young people in the Bradford district who face multiple barriers to employment.

At the time of the inspection, there were 325 adult learners enrolled and 57 apprentices.

Covering a range of subjects from English and maths to customer services, it supports individuals to gain or improve the skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

It also provides a range of recruitment and customised training services to meet the workplace skills needs of local employers and aims to improve skill levels in the workplace across the district.

Inspectors found the service offers “an ambitious curriculum” and that staff are “passionate about improving the lives of their learners”.

They also noted how well the service worked “to engage learners who are the hardest to reach, who live in the most deprived wards of the city and who are from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds”.

Ofsted also highlighted that “most adult learners progress successfully into employment or further training on completion of their course” and that “most apprentices achieve their qualifications, many with high grades, and many progress in their careers by gaining promotion at work or taking on additional responsibilities”.

Cllr Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s portfolio holder for education, employment and skills, said: “I am delighted that Ofsted has seen the excellent work done by our dedicated team at Skills for Work to help local people get the skills and training they need to get into employment and improve their lives.

“Inspectors recognised the inclusive and welcoming learning environment provided by Skills for Work and the support staff give learners to achieve their individual targets and qualifications.

“We want everyone in the Bradford district to be able to access education to learn new skills, gain confidence and open-up new career options. That is good for the individual, good for employers and good for the local economy.”