AN apprenticeship provider has been told it requires improvement following a recent Ofsted inspection.

The Virtual College, based in Stephensons Way, Ilkley, was told by inspectors its courses are too task-focused rather than focused on developing skills.

The provider was also told it requires improvement at its previous inspection in 2016.

The report said: “Trainers do not establish well enough the starting points of apprentices.

“Consequently, they fail to provide relevant improvement milestones or monitor apprentices’ progress sufficiently.

“Apprentices’ programmes, including their targets, focus too heavily on the completion of tasks rather than on the development of appropriate skills and behaviours.

“Managers’ monitoring of subcontractors has not led to rapid improvements in apprentices’ progress or their completion within planned timescales.

“Managers’ self-assessment is overly optimistic and fails to identify the key weaknesses in the provision. The quality improvement plan is not precise enough to bring about swift improvements.

“The proportion of apprentices with subcontractors who leave their programmes early is too high.

“Too many apprentices do not receive enough information during their course about further learning and career opportunities.

“Too few apprentices who are not studying functional skills as part of their programme develop their English and mathematics skills.”

Ofsted did find the provider has some strengths, such as a high proportion of its apprentices remaining in full-time employment after they have finished the programme.

Other positives included the provider having a curriculum which responds well to the needs of employers and the local economy, providing good feedback to apprentices to aid development, and employers providing apprentices with “ample time” to study during working hours.