Matthew Ramsell and Gareth Hassall set up Staffordshire Training Services last year. They both have years of experience working as freelance trainers and realised, when they were forced to spend time at home during the COVID lockdowns, that they were tired of travelling and being away from their families.

Matthew explained:

“I live in Stoke-on-Trent, but work took me as far away as Essex and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, I could see it was time to make a change and Gareth, who I’ve known for years, felt the same.

“It’s been great to put roots down here near home. Last year, when we put together our business plan and found a suitable building on Tollgate Industrial Estate in Safford, things started falling in to place.

“I trained originally as a gas engineer more than 20 years ago and started out working for Stoke on Trent City Council – on their maintenance team. Over the years I’ve had lots of experience in lots of areas, but my passion is renewables. I worked as an auditor, auditing the work of heat pump professionals.”

At the moment, Staffordshire Training Services is delivering LCL Awards’ Level 2 NVQ in Plumbing and Level 3 qualifications in Heat Pump Installation and Energy Efficiency, offering qualified heating and plumbing engineers the opportunity to move into a high growth area for the future.

A fortnight ago, Staffordshire Training Centre delivered its first heat pump course and it was a great success – you only need to look at the Google reviews and five star ratings left by their learners to see the positive feedback. 

Working with LCL Awards

Whilst working as a freelance trainer Matt built up a good working relationship LCL Awards so they were the natural choice when it came to choosing an AO for his company.

“I’ve got to know LCL Awards well over the last few years. Their customer support is second to none. They’re always at the end of the phone if you need help and they’re easy to talk to.

"Gareth and I have really appreciated their support in setting up our training centre and at the moment we’re working on some dedicated training space so that we can deliver their gas training courses too – an ACS training bay and room to teach their MLP.

“I’m interested in training responsible, flexible heating engineers who can face the challenge of the UK’s energy future head-on. We’re fully behind renewable energy, but there will always be a need for well-qualified gas engineers, to look after the heating needs of those that live in older properties where heat pumps aren’t necessarily the answer. 

"Hydrogen is also on the horizon – it’ll be interesting to see where that goes. Industry and boiler manufacturers are investing heavily in hydrogen as an alternative fuel to natural gas and with a bit of training, qualified gas engineers will be able to provide the skills needed for the switch over.

“Sustainability is what it’s all about. We’re fully behind a sustainable energy future for the UK and we’re putting our energies into building a training business to last. At the moment we’re drawing on a network of excellent freelance colleagues to train our learners, but as the business grows we’ll be looking to taking on permanent staff.  It’s all about finding a sustainable balance between family life and work. We’re excited about the future and we’re here to stay!”

To find out more about Staffordshire Training Services please click here.

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