Member Article

?Ofsted? success caps perfect 30th year for In-Comm

A leading West Midlands training provider is celebrating its 30th birthday in style after becoming one of the first organisations to successfully pass the new Ofsted inspection standards.

In-Comm Training and Business Services, which is based in Aldridge, secured an overall rating of ‘Good’ after it came through a four-day assessment that covered every part of the business.

The firm was specifically praised for its ability to develop apprentices with good vocational skills that are valued by employers, the quality of its trainers and assessors and the facilities at its Training Academy.

Bosses at the company now plan to use the best practice mark to build on its existing client base of UK companies, ranging from two man businesses to those employing in excess of 1000 people.

“This is one of the most demanding inspections you can have as a training provider and, under the new regime, you get just two day’s notice to prepare. It really is a ‘warts and all’ reflection on the provision you are providing,” explained Colin Mills, Director at In-Comm Training Services.

“Inspectors looked at the management behind the business, our strategy, the quality of teaching both on-site and at In-Comm. They also spoke to employers and apprentices to get an idea of the quality of service we provide.”

He continued: “I’m delighted to say we scored a ‘Good’ Rating across all areas, including overall effectiveness, outcomes for learners, quality of provision and effectiveness of leadership and management.

“This puts us in a great position to take the company forward.”

The Ofsted report is a perfect 30th birthday present for In-Comm, which was first formed by Jim Springthopre and twelve former members of staff from I.C.F.C Training.

A management buy-out, involving current owners Colin Mills and Geoff Jones, took place in 1997 and the company was later restructured in 2001 to become In-Comm Training Services and In-Comm Business Services - offering apprentice training and adult vocational qualifications and consultancy respectively.

It has been an approach that has paid dividends, with the increased marketing opportunities helping the business grow dramatically to its current position as one of the West Midlands leading providers.

Colin went on to add: “We are currently looking after 157 apprentices (16-24) and 550 adults completing apprenticeships or NVQ qualifications.

“This spans Engineering, Business Admin, Customer Service, IT, Warehouse and Storage, not to mention Health and Safety, Management Development, Quality Systems and the increasingly popular Business Improvement Techniques course.

“Our success has been built on ensuring we give the employer what they want and the individual the skills they need. Many of our relationships span 30 years, with some ex-apprentices now owning their own companies.”

2012 has been a good year for In-Comm, with the successful roll-out of the ‘Walsall Works’ apprentice scheme and attainment of the Training Excellence Accreditation.

It has equally exciting plans for the following twelve months, including attracting more members to its Group Training Association, holding a special Apprentice open evening in March and further investment in resources and equipment at its Training Academy.

Geoff Jones, fellow Director at In-Comm, concluded: “We’d like to thank all of our staff, partners and customers for their continued support and hard work in achieving our high standards of performance.”

For further information, please contact Gareth Jones on 01922 457686 or visit www.in-comm.co.uk. You can also follow them on facebook and twitter at @incomm_training

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .