UNITED KINGDOM
The United Kingdom watchdog on education and training has slammed a Public Service training program run by accounting firm KPMG as inadequate.
KPMG Limited Liability Partnership has now been banned from the apprenticeships market as a result of the damning report from the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).
The report found a catalogues of issues, including a failure to give unbiased careers advice and poor support for high needs learners with dyslexia, among the 933 apprentices who all work in Government Departments such as the Cabinet Office and Treasury.
Ofsted inspectors said too few of the apprentices completed KPMG’s program, with many leaving early.
“Many report that they feel demotivated by the lack of support and very slow response to their requests for information and guidance,” the report found.
“The apprentices’ curriculum is not well structured and does not support them to develop quickly the knowledge and skills they require, resulting in the vast majority being left behind.”
Ofsted found that trainers were not sure how well apprentices were doing; when they were going to complete their apprenticeship, and what they needed to do to achieve it.
The report said KPMG worked with two subcontractors, QA Limited and Bridgwater and Taunton College, which accounted for 58 per cent and eight per cent of apprentices respectively.
Ofsted criticised these partners as they “do not develop consistently well the necessary knowledge and skills”.
The watchdog’s report continued: “Apprentices do not consistently receive the hours away from work that they need to study or attend classes. Nor do they receive unbiased careers advice.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said it was aware that KPMG’s apprenticeship provision had been judged inadequate by Ofsted.
“In line with our usual policy, they will be removed from the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers,” the spokesperson said.
“It will be each Government Department’s responsibility to decide whether apprentices will complete their apprenticeships at KPMG or move to a different provider.”
London, 18 March 2020
