Greater Manchester training provider must improve, Ofsted says

One of the largest training providers in the country which is based in Greater Manchester has been slammed by Ofsted. The Growth Company, which has 11 training centres across the city-region, has been rated 'requires improvement' by the education watchdog.

The organisation, which receives much of its funding from public bodies, has been criticised for the quality of education it provides. According to a report, 'low attendance' and 'poor completion of assessments' means too many learners fall behind with their work.

The board of directors, around half of whom are senior councillors, have also been accused of not challenging leaders sufficiently. Board members, which include the council leaders of Bury, Manchester and Tameside, are 'suitably qualified and experienced to carry out their roles', according to the report, but they are not sufficiently informed of parts of the curriculum that need improvement.

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The four-day Ofsted inspection of The Growth Company, which is headquartered in Manchester city centre, took place in November 2023. It concluded that behaviour and attitudes, personal development, adult learning programmes and apprenticeships were 'good'.

However, the overall effectiveness of the organisation was rated as 'requires improvement', reflecting its ratings relating to the quality of education, leadership and management, education prorammes for young people and provision for learners with high needs. The Growth Company was rated 'good' at its last full inspection in 2018 but had been told it 'requires improvement' in