News Updates
Booming through £1m Barrier - Posted 3rd April 2005.
Business is booming for Lomax Training Services Ltd, the North's fastest growing training company which is on course to break through the million pound turnover barrier in just its fourth year.New staff, new courses and new facilities have all played their part in the rapid expansion managed specifically to meet the needs of the increasing number of clients turning to the Company to meet their specific training needs. Each and every step of the expansion has been carefully planned before proceeding.
The market has been researched, facilities identified, courses developed and the best trainers employed helping ensure success for client and Company. The Lomax reputation for responding to the needs of organisations and individuals has resulted in more than 95% of clients returning time and again with repeat business - and that too has added the extra confidence to expand.
Within the last few months the Company, founded by Jim Lomax in 2001, opened its fourth training centre and now directly employs 28 people across Wearside and Tyneside and many more indirectly.
The company, based at the Business and Innovation Centre in Sunderland, was set up to provide training for people to fill the growing need for gas service engineers and to create a centre of excellence in the North East to meet the need for refresher training and assessment for thousands more.
It has done so by building a team to deliver bespoke energy industry utility training across the domestic and industrial and commercial gas sectors, whilst branching into gas engineering and other utility services. Now it is a multi-utility training business with the most comprehensive training facilities of their kind in the North of England.
Clients include major utility companies such as British Gas, Transco and Enterprise as well as local authorities, small and medium sized businesses and individuals. Lomax also delivers Government training programmes and supervisory and management training. In the last two years, the Company has seen more than 2,000 individuals undertake refresher and assessment training, and almost 300 employees including 24 apprentices, have completed skills training. And people have walked straight from training into jobs.
All 32 unemployed people who undertook Gas Network Operations NVQ Level 1 secured jobs with Lomax contacts at the end of their training. "It has been an exciting time for the team, particularly as we moved to multi-utility work, opened new premises and developed new courses," said Jim. "We believe we have had a major impact on the labour market and the region as a whole. It has impacted on the regional economy by creating lower costs for clients, helping unemployed people become economically active, and giving young people skills for work within industries that can offer them long-term security."
The development work is however far from finished. The Company is searching for a new site to realise its next dream - to establish a Centre of Excellence for Utility Training.Return to Top of page