OFSTED report is a new high for PM Training Mar 11, 2011
Category: News
PM Training is celebrating after more than 90 per cent of the social enterprise was assessed as ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ in an excellent Ofsted report.
PM Training – part of the Aspire Group – helps tackle worklessness among young people and provides training and employment opportunities for more than 1,000 people a year, around 200 of whom are apprentices.
The inspection was carried out in January and the glowing report was published on Friday 4 March. Highlights include four areas of PM Training that were judged to be ‘outstanding’:
- How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community?
- How well partnerships with schools, employers, community groups and others lead to benefits to learners?
- How effective are the care, guidance and support learners receive in helping them to achieve?
- How efficiently and effectively does the provider use its available resources to secure value for money?
Ofsted inspector Derrick Spragg said: “Learners particularly enjoy training at the centre where the staff use their experience and skill to develop learners’ employability skills and confidence. Practical training starts straight away and learners are well prepared for each stage of the programme.
“Good work placements and job opportunities are provided and employers work very well in partnership with PM to achieve good outcomes for learners. Support for learners by PM staff is outstanding.”
Will Nixon, PM Training’s chief executive, said: “Ofsted judges us on exactly the same criteria as any other training provider and this shows we are up there with the best.
“The report is a real endorsement of all the excellent work that is put in by everyone at PM Training – both staff and trainees alike. It’s also especially pleasing that Ofsted recognised that PM makes ‘a big contribution to improving the local area’.”
As a training provider, PM Training’s track record of progression rates onto apprenticeship schemes is the highest in Staffordshire and among the highest in the UK for a social enterprise organisation. Around 70% of trainees positively progress through its skills programmes and 95% of these go onto full-time apprenticeships.
For more information on how to join a PM Training apprentice visit www.pmtraining.org.uk/ or call 01782 279121.
The full Ofsted report is published online at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_providers/full/(urn)/53992.

