Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has been praised by Ofsted in the first full inspection of its firefighter apprenticeship programme.
The Service has been rated ‘Outstanding’ for its approaches to personal development and behaviour and attitudes. The quality of education; leadership and management; and apprenticeships have each been rated as ‘Good’, meaning the Service has been rated as ‘Good’ in overall effectiveness as an Apprenticeship Employer-Provider.
The result follows Greater Manchester’s high ranking in the latest national Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in June. Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), including GMFRS, has been ranked 37 this year – the highest placing of all regional public sector organisations and an improvement of 21 places from last year.
Ofsted inspectors recognised that the apprentices are extremely proud to be part of the Service and are highly motivated and want to succeed.
GMFRS Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel said:
“I’m extremely proud of the outcome of our first Ofsted inspection, which recognises the quality of our apprenticeship provision and our commitment to continuously improve the programme so it is the best it can be.
“As the report highlights, GMFRS goes above and beyond in the delivery of its apprenticeship curriculum to ensure that all our new firefighters are equipped with the knowledge and the skills they need to meet the challenging demands and unique built environment of the city-region.
“We are delivering an ambitious programme, with a commitment in our Fire Plan to recruit 350 apprentice firefighters between 2021 and 2025. So to get this endorsement from Ofsted is testament to what we are striving to achieve here in Greater Manchester.
“Our people are our best asset as we continue on our journey to be a modern, flexible and resilient fire and rescue service, and supporting and developing our apprentices is key to that, so I’m pleased that has been recognised by inspectors.”
