Thumbs up for Thatcham’s Apprentice Training Centre
4 June 2008
Thatcham’s Apprentice Training Centre has been given a glowing report following the insurer supported centre’s first inspection from OFSTED, the government’s Office for Standards in Education.

The scope of the OFSTED inspection took account of a range of factors including self-assessment reports, development plans and comments from the local Learning and Skills Council (LSC), alongside the thorough assessment visit, to award the centre an impressive ‘GOOD’ rating – a rarely achieved result following first inspection.

Thatcham’s state of the art facility in Berkshire offers over 300 young vehicle crash repair technicians the opportunity to study three year apprenticeships in Panel, Paint and M.E.T (Mechanical Electrical Trim).

In the report, OFSTED identified key strengths including
High success rates for advanced apprentices
Good development of learners’ skills
Excellent resources for off-the-job training
Good on and off-the-job training
Good support for learners
Strong leadership
Good operational management
Highly effective partnership working

As indicators of performance, these points reflect the centre’s crucial role in developing skills motivated young people to sustain the future of the crash repair industry, and the continuing requirement to align training with business needs.

Jason Moseley, Thatcham’s Chief Operating Officer, said “As the automotive industry’s premier apprentice training provider, Thatcham are committed to the development of vocational skills in young people. The Thatcham Apprentice Centre, a fundamental component of our Automotive Academy, has an excellent and well deserved reputation and this report from OFSTED confirms that view.”

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