TENDRING Council's apprenticeship scheme career track has been rated by Ofsted following its latest inspection. 

Career Track, the apprenticeship provider run by Tendring Council, has been rated 'good' by Ofsted following its latest inspection.

The scheme, which turned 40 last year, was visited in November 2023 by inspectors who found Career Track was good across all areas.

The service runs several apprenticeships at levels two and three, with several apprentices at the council and other local authorities and businesses across Essex, Suffolk and Kent.

During the three-day visit, inspectors found apprentices enjoy their learning, feel valued and safe, and are highly motivated to complete their training.

Most apprentices find work as soon as their training is completed.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette: Success - Cllr Gina Placey, Cllr Mark Stephens and Cllr Ian Davidson with apprentices in the schemeSuccess - Cllr Gina Placey, Cllr Mark Stephens and Cllr Ian Davidson with apprentices in the scheme (Image: Tendring Council)

In its report, Ofsted said Career Track has developed “ambitious programmes which provide a good route to employment and further training for local residents who have low prior-educational achievement or low ambition".

It praised the support given to apprentices by both Career Track assessors and the employing managers, and also the expertise and experience of the governors.

Gina Placey, Tendring Council's cabinet member for partnerships, said: “The Career Track team have worked extremely hard in continuously developing its programmes and nurturing apprentices throughout its history, and I cannot praise them highly enough.

“Career Track plays a valuable role in both Tendring Council and our local community by running these high-quality apprenticeships.

“As the report notes, this provides a pathway to learning and work, raising aspirations for local residents and helping them to develop skills to set them up for long-term employment.

“In addition within Tendring Council, our Career Track apprentices play a key role in supporting the running of the council, contributing back to the community as a whole.

"Reports from employers who use Career Track reflect this too in seeing their business grow thanks to apprentices.

The 'good' rating comes on the back of a positive monitoring visit conducted in October 2022, where progress to tackle issues raised in a previous 2021 inspection was praised.