Pan-Wales apprenticeship provider celebrates glowing Estyn report

One of the top work-based learning providers in Wales is celebrating after receiving a glowing report from Estyn, following an inspection this summer.

Senior leaders at Welshpool-based Cambrian Training Company, which has offices across Wales, are recognised for establishing “a clear vision and strategic objectives to meet the needs of its learners and employers”.

“The vision, which has been aligned with the company’s core values, clearly supports the current and future sustainability of the provider and its provision by working particularly well with key employer representative groups,” says the report.

Inspectors were so impressed by the way the company’s senior leaders engage with and influence the hospitality, food and drink sectors that the business has been asked to prepare a best practice case study for Estyn’s website.

Faith O’Brien, Cambrian Training Company’s Managing Director, said: “We are incredibly proud of the positive Estyn inspection and report. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to knowing our learners, meeting their individual support needs and ensuring every learner has the tools to succeed.

“We take great pride in offering a broad range of opportunities, including specialist courses tailored to meet the unique requirements of both learners and employers. This report highlights our dedication to delivering high quality training that prepares our learners for success in their chosen fields and future careers.”

In partnership with 10 subcontractors, Cambrian Training Company delivers apprenticeships from Levels 2 to 5 for Medr across the whole of Wales.

The majority of the company’s 2,100 apprentices work in the hospitality and catering, health, public services and care sectors.

Apprenticeships are also delivered in food and drink manufacture, butchery, children’s early years, leadership and management, engineering and manufacturing technologies, hair and beauty, digital marketing, leisure and sport, business administration, retail and customer service and sustainable resource management.

The company is praised for learner-focused training and developing learners in the workplace with strong support from employers.

“Most learners develop practical skills relevant to their job role and use these to become productive and valued members of their workplace,” says the report. “Many learners are ambitious to progress within their careers and to higher level apprenticeship programme.

“This is achieved because training officers are industry practitioners who integrate real workplace contexts into learners’ training and assessment plans well.

“All training officers benefit from a broad range of opportunities to update their professional and occupational skills by returning to industry and undertaking specialist courses to meet their individual needs.

“The provider and its subcontractors engage well with long established and new employers offering apprenticeship opportunities to meet their recruitment and training needs.”

The company and its partners are also recognised for their very strong ethos of care and support for their learners and staff.

“Training officers know their learners well,” adds the report. “They maintain regular contact with their learners and are flexible in meeting their personal support needs, both inside and outside planned sessions.”

In response to Estyn’s recommendations, Cambrian Training Company has an action plan to improve framework success and completion rates, target setting and self-evaluation.

The company’s subcontractors are Apprenticeship Group Wales, Call of the Wild, Clybiau Plant Cymru, Inspiro, Lifetime Training, NTG Training, Portal Training, Progression Training, Sirius Skills and Work Based Training Agency.