Inspectors have said Nottingham City Transport’s teaching of staff ‘requires improvement’.
An Ofsted report has found Nottingham’s biggest bus company’s effectiveness as an independent learning provider ‘requires improvement’ across four out of five key areas.
The company currently has around 80 apprentices training to be bus drivers by undertaking a level 2 apprenticeship in passenger-carrying vehicle driving.
NCT employs around 830 drivers who help to operate 350 buses across Nottingham and provide around 50 million passenger journeys every year.
The report said: “Apprentices are very slow to achieve the full apprenticeship framework.
“Staff place insufficient focus on developing apprentices’ literacy and numeracy skills, and on helping them achieve their English and mathematics functional skills qualifications.
“Self-assessment does not provide a precise enough view of the quality of the provision; action plans lack sufficient focus to support managers in bringing about rapid and secure improvement, or in measuring the impact of actions taken.”
The report did highlight some strengths.
It said: “With excellent practical facilities, instructors provide outstanding practical skills development for apprentices, leading to sustained employment.
“Apprentices’ personal development, behaviour and welfare are good; they are keen to learn and develop a very professional approach to their work.”
A spokesman for Nottingham City Transport said: “We take driver training very seriously and receive positive assessments from our regulatory bodies on the driving and customer service standards we deliver, which Ofsted also recognised and praised.
“An apprenticeship programme was introduced 18 months ago to enhance the skills of our new drivers.
“This is our first Ofsted inspection, and of a new programme, and the key challenge for us has been ensuring drivers complete qualifications on time, while they also undertake their day job providing a comprehensive network of services across the city all day, every day.
“Overall, the findings of the report are as we expected, given we are a business providing training rather than a dedicated academic institution.
“There is a good deal of praise for our efforts within the report and we are taking helpful advice and guidance from Ofsted on how to improve the administrative aspects they have highlighted.”
NCT was named UK Bus Operator 2016 at last November’s UK Bus Awards setting a new record by securing the award for the fourth time.
The company was also named Top City Operator at the same ceremony.
Last week it announced bus fares were set to increase at the end of the month following ‘increased operating costs’ for the company.
