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QA Achieves ‘Good’ Ofsted Rating: A Testament to Quality Apprenticeship Provision

08/08/2025

QA Partner Spotlight with Ofsted Logo

We are delighted to share some exciting news from one of our valued Advisory Panel partners. QA, the UK’s largest tech training provider, has recently achieved a ‘Good’ rating in all aspects of their Ofsted inspection. This recognition highlights QA’s commitment to delivering high-quality apprenticeship training across standards from Level 3 to 7.

At the Association of Apprentices, we believe that strong partnerships are essential to enhancing the apprenticeship experience. We spoke with key leaders at QA to understand how our collaboration has contributed to their success.

Jo Bishenden, Managing Director at QA, shared:

“Our partnership with the Association of Apprentices has been transformative—not just for our learners, but for the wider apprenticeship ecosystem. By co-creating learning communities and support networks, we’ve fostered a culture of belonging, wellbeing, and ambition. With 83% of our apprentices actively engaged in AoA, we’re proud to be leading the way in shaping a more connected, confident, and career-ready generation of talent.”

Embedding Excellence in Apprenticeship Delivery

What makes this partnership particularly special is how QA has integrated our services into their apprenticeship provision. Naomi Lavender, Quality Director at QA, explains:

“Our apprenticeships go beyond KSBs—offering a rich blend of personal and professional development opportunities that are thoughtfully planned and deeply impactful. From day one, our partnership with the Association of Apprentices (AoA) is shared with apprentices, providing a consistent thread of support and inspiration throughout the entire journey.

Apprentices thrive on the chance to build meaningful external networks, tap into exclusive learning resources, and gain personalised insights that help them grow in confidence and capability. One standout feature is the Career Pulse assessment—hugely popular for its ability to guide apprentices in identifying development opportunities and shaping their future career paths with clarity and purpose.”

Recognition from Ofsted: The Impact of a National Apprenticeship Body

Perhaps the most significant testament to our collaborative work comes directly from the Ofsted report. While we are not explicitly named, QA has confirmed that the following excerpt refers to the Association of Apprentices as the national apprenticeship body mentioned:

“Apprentices participate in a variety of well-planned opportunities to promote their personal and professional development very well. For example, leaders have invested in a national apprenticeship body where apprentices develop external networks, access additional learning and resources, and gain insights into how to develop their careers. They take additional online modules beyond the standard they study, which support their wider development well.”

Why This Matters

As the national apprenticeship body referenced in this Ofsted report, we’re proud that our impact is being recognised during formal inspections. This isn’t unique to QA, several of our partners have had similar acknowledgements from Ofsted, validating our collaborative approach to enhancing apprenticeship experiences. By bridging the gap between formal training and peer support, we’re helping create well-rounded development opportunities that inspectors clearly value.

Looking Forward

We congratulate QA on their well-deserved Ofsted rating and look forward to continuing our partnership. Together, we will continue to strengthen the apprenticeship ecosystem and ensure that apprentices receive the highest quality training and support available.

For more information about how your organisation can partner with the Association of Apprentices as a national apprenticeship body, please contact our partnerships team.

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Jan Richardson-Wilde

CEO, Occupational Awards Limited

Jan is the CEO of Occupational Awards Limited, a Director of the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink and an FE College Governor. She has over 35 years’ experience in the education sector in strategic and operational management of training programmes with colleges, private training providers, local authorities the voluntary sector and not for profit organisations. Jan has previously been a board member of the Learning and Skills Council, chair of the North Yorkshire Training Provider network and Vice-Chair of Yorkshire Coast College and a Governor of the Grimsby Institute for Further and Higher Education. She has extensive experience of education policy, apprenticeships, qualification, and curriculum development as well as business improvement.

Jan joined OAL in 2019, a leading non-profit industry-focused Awarding and End-Point Assessment Organisation, supporting a wide range of employers and of key stakeholders to succeed and surpass expectations. Jan is committed to continuous improvement and enthusiastic about improving the effectiveness, impact and quality of apprenticeships, education, and training in the UK and internationally. She has a wide range of experience of working in a collaborative context with employers and training providers to develop End Point Assessment, apprenticeships, and a wide range of vocational programmes.