London, November 22, 2022 – Alpha Development announces ‘Good’ grading in its inaugural Ofsted Inspection
Alpha Development is delighted to announce Ofsted has graded its apprenticeship programme as Good. Gained following its September 2022 inspection, the overall ‘Good’ grade includes recognition for Alpha’s leaders, managers, and staff with apprentices and employers valuing the training Alpha provides.
Offering a range of apprenticeship programmes for early career entrants to the finance sector, and to existing employees in need of upskilling, Alpha designs the curriculum in close partnership with employers. At the request of employers, bespoke content is included in the programme and Alpha also adds in professional qualifications for apprentices studying business analyst and team leader courses beyond the requirements of the standard.
“Employers are now seeing apprenticeships as an effective way to meet their talent needs, particularly if they can engage in the design of the training,” said Paul Fegan, Head of Apprenticeships at Alpha Development. “Work-based apprenticeship programmes that lead to degree-level qualifications, that also support diversity and inclusion initiatives, are increasingly being recognised by employers as a successful alternative to university courses.”
Highly qualified staff check and consider apprentices’ starting points, adapting the curriculum to meet apprentices’ individual learning needs closely. Critically, apprentices also value that they can directly apply their learning at work. The Ofsted inspection notes that Alpha trainers use their industry skills and knowledge effectively to illustrate their teaching of theory using examples from the workplace, challenging apprentices to further analyse projects. As a result, apprentices understand quickly how their new knowledge gained in training sessions is relevant to and that they can put into practice at work.
“This recognition from Ofsted is a testament to the quality and calibre of the team at Alpha,” comments Hector Payne, Chief Learning Officer at Alpha Development.
Hector continues, “over the past few years we have successfully helped several employers widen and diversify their talent pool by providing new opportunities via apprenticeship schemes. Our offering has supported employees in several roles across the financial and professional services sector whether they are leaving education and starting their first job or existing employees looking to develop new skills. Our pursuit of excellence has helped organisations to build and develop teams with shared values and common goals as opposed to buying-in talent that is unsustainable and costly. “
“Apprenticeships help organisations thrive through a combination of developing skills that are relevant and in-synch with industry needs, attracting and retaining talent and creating high performing teams. Alpha provides a non-obligation, complementary consultation service to help employers set up their levy provision, manage their levy account and build a high-level strategy to embrace the opportunities apprenticeships has to offer,” concludes Hector.
Contact Alpha for further information about how to help prepare your apprenticeships for the future or visit Apprenticeship Training.
