Apprenticeships provider rated ‘strong’ by Ofsted inspectors

Apprenticeships provider Nine Dots Development is celebrating after being judged ‘strong’ in every area by Ofsted inspectors.

The firm, which provides apprenticeship training for businesses across England in a range of areas including AI, HR, management, digital, data analysis and marketing, received the glowing report under Ofsted’s new framework.

Instead of single word judgements, Ofsted now scores educational providers in five separate areas: Inclusion; Leadership and Governance; Achievement; Curriculum and Teaching; Participation and Development.

The judgement puts Nine Dots among the highest scoring few per cent of the country’s 1,440 providers registered to deliver apprenticeships by the Department for Education.

Of those to have been judged under the new framework, very few have achieved ‘strong’ in every area.

The report contained detailed praise for Nine Dots’ apprenticeship provision with a team of five inspectors – who visited in June this year – impressed by how well apprentices were supported in achieving their best and applying their newly acquired skills in the workplace.

Nine Dots Development was started 11 years ago by childhood friends Jordan Burke and James Davison, with the mission of making the UK the best place to work in the world through its wide range of programmes designed to help workplaces run smoothly through effective and supportive training.

At the time of the report, the company was training 377 apprentices in companies across England.

It also provides courses in HR, leadership and management to businesses around the world, including Scania, BAE Systems, Fred Perry and Associated Press.

This year the company has seen huge growth in its newly launched digital apprenticeships including a highly popular course in AI.

Jordan said: “We are absolutely delighted with our latest Ofsted report judging us to be strong in all areas.

“We are very proud of the work we do here at Nine Dots and it’s testament to the hard work of every member of the team that we have received this judgement.

“The new Ofsted framework allows for a far more detailed and nuanced picture of our work, and we couldn’t be happier with the report.”

James said: “The world of apprenticeships is moving quickly all the time, and our team of trusted coaches are expertly placed to provide the very best training to our learners.

“Our newly launched AI and digital apprenticeships have been absolutely flying this year, and we are delighted to see businesses approach cutting edge topics such as AI by investing in the appropriate training for their staff.

“Thank you to every member of the Nine Dots team for their hard work in achieving this great testimonial from Ofsted.”