Ofsted apprentices celebrate success

Amanda Spielman, HMCI, and Ofsted’s People and Operations Directors Matthew Coffey and Karen Shepperson, joined successful apprentices and colleagues from Damar Training to celebrate the success of Ofsted’s two-year apprenticeship programme at Admiralty House, Westminster on [Friday 7th December].

Launched in October 2016 the ambitious two-year programme saw the recruitment of apprentices into roles in Ofsted’s offices in Manchester, London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Bristol. The apprentices began their journey with the intermediate level apprenticeship in business administration then, as their roles progressed, they moved on to the advanced apprenticeship in business administration in year two.

In recognition of successfully completing the programme in November 2018, the apprentices were invited to an event hosted at Admiralty House, Westminster, London. Before receiving their certificates, there were group discussions with the apprentices feeding back on:

• How they have developed over the two years,
• Their ambitions for further progression over the next three to five years and how they plan to get there; and
• The skills they have learned.

Matthew Coffey, Ofsted Chief Operating Officer, said:

“Since they joined Ofsted more than two years ago, I have been really impressed by the positive attitude, hard work and dedication shown by our apprentices across the country. I hope their careers continue to progress and I wish them all every success for the future.”

Jonathan Bourne, Damar’s Managing Director, commented:

“As with all successful apprenticeship programmes, this has been a partnership. In addition to the hard work of the apprentices, colleagues at Ofsted and Damar have worked together tirelessly to support the programme and make a positive impact on the individuals and the wider organisation. I must also pay tribute to my training and account management colleagues at Damar. Delivering apprenticeships to the body that inspects apprenticeships is a huge responsibility and the success of this programme is testament to their professionalism and dedication.”