The Faraday Centre in East Yorkshire is one of the latest training centres to join LCL Awards’ family, offering fully accredited specialist electrical training with a focus on safety.

Opened in 1991, the business of brainchild of Barry Thomas is named after Michael Faraday, one of the most influential scientists in history. Faraday’s pioneering research into electromagnetism in the Nineteenth Century and his subsequent invention of the first electromagnetic rotary devices, led to the development of electrical motor technology and the practical application of electricity in technology we see today. 

Barry Thomas worked for British Steel before setting up his training company. Having witnessed several serious accidents with high voltage equipment, and narrowly escaping one himself, he saw the need for electrical training with safety at its heart.  Some thirty years later, The Faraday Centre has grown and developed considerably, but the core of the business is still the same. There’s a strong focus on safe operating procedures, and as the company website says: 

‘Everyone has the right to be confident they will go home safe when the job is done.’

Following Barry’s death in 2021, The Faraday Centre is now run by his daughter, Dr Hannah Thomas, who returned to the UK, leaving behind a career in zoology in South Africa - working on a game farm in the Kalihari. She explains:

“I was tempted back to sunny old Redcar when my father offered me the role of project manager. I picked up a husband and two border collies on the way and honestly haven’t looked back. We’re a family company, born and bred!

“I oversaw the merging of the company’s two small training centres in Middlesborough and set up our new centre in Wilton. We currently occupy a 43,000 sq foot building with two large practical areas and plenty of space for all the other supporting facilities we need. 

“With our experience and established reputation, we service a wide range of clients from the UK and beyond, offering on-site training here as well as client-based training abroad. Our clients include Guinness, for whom we train operatives in factories across Africa; Red Stripe in Jamaica; Disney Cruise Liners and CBRE facilities management. We specialise in short courses in both high and low voltage electrics and have some two thousand candidates a year through the doors. It’s a big operation.”

“When we were looking to enhance our offer for low-voltage qualifications, we chose LCL Awards because we felt, when compared to those offered by other Awarding Bodies, their courses were oriented to the engineer, rather than academics; for businesses rather than colleges. The fact that LCL Awards is UCAS registered was another plus for us - as our corporate clients like that. 

“We’ve found LCL Awards to be incredibly approachable and responsive during the set-up process. We’ve been thrilled that everything has gone so smoothly - and quickly. I’m delighted that we’ll be running our first 18th Edition course next week. 

“It’s been a breath of fresh air to work with an organisation that’s so helpful and flexible, as well as being so professional and quality focussed. I can’t fault them. 

“I’ve been at the Faraday Centre for seven years now and am well aware of the legacy left by my father. He was well-known and well-respected in the industry and I’m proud to be taking us forward in his memory. We’re very flexible and responsive to the requirements of our clients. Although we’ve not yet had much call for renewables courses, should we need to, we could get them up and running in very short order with the help of LCL Awards and our technical development team.  We just need there to be a demand.

“We have links with a team at Teesside University, who are currently working on an exciting Green Hydrogen project, and we provide internships for some of their students. Our team of experienced tutors are as passionate about the future as I am, so it’s exciting to be planning where we go next. 

“For the moment, we’re delighted to have become one of LCL Awards’ approved centres and able to offer our clients excellent low-voltage training and electrical safety courses. It’s a partnership I’m very happy with.” 

We wish Hannah and her team the very best. If you’d like to find out more about what The Faraday Centre offers, please click here. 

If you’d be interested in talking to us about delivering LCL Awards electrical qualifications at your training centre you’ll find more information here. Give us a call!