News: JTL launches new £2m training centre in Rotherham

JTL, one of the UK’s leading apprenticeship providers in the building services engineering sector, welcomed John Healey MP to officially open its new training centre in South Yorkshire.

Rothbiz reported in January that the firm had secured approval to convert the former Morphy Richards offices at Adwick Park in Manvers into a vocational educational training centre.

Established since 1990, the not-for-profit Kent-based charity offers advanced apprenticeships in electrical installation, engineering maintenance, mechanical engineering services comprising plumbing, gas alongside heating and ventilating. They serve approximately 8,000 apprentices and 3,800 employers in six regions across England and Wales, providing opportunities via its own estate of 14 training centres and 80 partner organisations.

The charity’s newest training centre will serve as a hub for electrical apprenticeships and training in green technologies. The state-of-the-art facilities are the result of a £2m investment, highlighting JTL’s commitment to delivering high-quality, learner-focused training, addressing local skills shortages, and supporting the UK’s green skills agenda.

The official opening event was attended by John Healey, MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, who unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion and addressed the audience of local employers, industry representatives, apprentices, school students from Wath Academy, careers advisors, and the JTL delivery team about the importance of fostering skills for the future.

The South Yorkshire centre has cutting-edge electrical engineering workshops, classrooms, an End Point Assessment (AM2) preparation workstation, breakout areas, and is set to play a key role in helping the region meet its growing demand for skilled professionals alongside local businesses taking on an apprentice.

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Attendees had the opportunity to tour the new centre, meet the first cohort of apprentices, network and learn more about the technical skills being taught, which will include renewable energy systems and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The South Yorkshire Training Centre will be a flagship facility for JTL, contributing to the local economy and equipping future generations with the skills needed to meet the UK’s demand for sustainable homebuilding and energy infrastructure, through a specialist ‘Green Hub’ of training for renewable technologies. According to the South Yorkshire Trailblazer Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), future skills needs include addressing replacement demand for an ageing workforce and jobs linked to new technology and construction methods and the drive for net zero. With over £11.8 billion in planned projects for the sub-region – two-thirds (£8 billion) of which will be in the green economy – this includes low-carbon tech, electric vehicles, carbon capture and resilient utilities networks, and will all require highly-skilled electrical engineers.

Across the North East region, where JTL has training centres in South Yorkshire, Hull and York, the industry charity is training approximately 1,800 apprentices in partnership with 1,200 employers.

John Healey MP, who represents the local Rawmarsh and Conisbrough constituency, said: “I am delighted that JTL has chosen Wath as the home of its new South Yorkshire training centre for apprentices to learn their trade. The centre has already created 17 jobs locally through new tutors, administrators and supervisors and the plans are in place to train almost 100 new electrical apprentices from across the borough with an expansion into plumbing courses in the near future.

“Apprenticeships provide our young people with a valuable pathway into critical sectors, allowing them to earn while they learn and develop the essential skills they need for their careers. Our community is full of skilled talent and we are eager for the next generation to be able to pick up a trade and get on in life.”

Sir John Low, Chair of the JTL Board, added: “The opening of our South Yorkshire Training Centre marks an exciting milestone for JTL as we continue to expand our network of facilities to meet local, regional, and national skills needs. This new centre will help to equip young people in the South Yorkshire area with the practical, hands-on experience necessary to succeed in the building services industry, particularly as we move towards a greener economy. We are thrilled to contribute to both the local community and the wider national agenda for skills development and net-zero commitments.”

JTL Training website

Images: JTL

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News: Training firm gains approval for new Rotherham centre

JTL, one of the leading apprenticeship providers in England and Wales, has secured planning permission for a new operation in Rotherham.

Established since 1990, the not-for-profit Kent-based charity offers advanced apprenticeships in electrical installation, engineering maintenance, mechanical engineering services comprising plumbing, gas alongside heating and ventilating. They serve approximately 8,000 apprentices and 3,800 employers in six regions across England and Wales, providing opportunities via its own estate of 14 training centres and 80 partner organisations.

The firm has now secured approval to convert the former Morphy Richards offices at Adwick Park in Manvers into a vocational educational training centre.

Currently vacant, the 16,469 sq ft unit with 82 car parking spaces was offered with CBRE and Crosthwaite Commercial for sale / to let at £1.1m / £8.50 Per sq ft.

Plans show that the ground floor would facilitate two workshops and six classrooms with other ancillary facilities. It is anticipated that this space would provide for eight staff in a combination of tutors and technicians that would teach a maximum of 70 pupils.

The first floor would be retained as office space and would house 40 full time members of staff.

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The plans, drawn up by agents from NTP, explain: "The proposals will bring the entire building back into use whilst the application only relates to the ground floor, the intended use of the first floor is as office space as both a mix of both refurbished office space for commercial let and JTL staff use as part of their regional operations and as such provides the opportunity to also bring the first floor back into employment use.

"The Ground floor will be used to provide vocational training for 16 to 25 year olds seeking to expand their education and skillset, and thereby providing a wider offering of trained and employable staff in the area for local business.

"We consider the location adjacent the Dearne Valley College enhances the education and employment offering in this area of Rotherham and is thereby of substantial benefit to the Borough as a whole."

JTL are presently having to use a temporary centre in Tankersley having had to move out of Doncaster where JTL was hiring rooms for training. A move to Wath upon Dearne for the training centre and staff base is seen as a positive move for all.

JTL website

Images: CBRE

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News: Rotherham apprentice up for national award

Christopher Bruney, an electrician from Aston, is attending the final of JTL's National Awards tonight, where he will be up against 12 other regional winners from across England and Wales, all hoping to be named JTL's National Apprentice of the Year.

JTL is a charity organisation offering advanced apprenticeships in electrical, engineering maintenance, and mechanical engineering services.

Chris completed his apprenticeship whilst working for Lilleker Bros Ltd in Rotherham and was named JTL's Apprentice of the Year for the Yorkshire and Humberside region at the Royal Armouries in Leeds in October last year.

With offices on Moorgate, Lilleker Bros is an electrical engineering and contracting company that specialises in the industrial and commercial sectors with particular emphasis on electrical installations and process control within the food industry.

Having always been interested in electrics, Chris knew it was a career he wanted to pursue. In his teens he spent a lot of time returning damaged or faulty goods to full working condition, which he then sold online. He started a theoretically-based electrical course at college but soon decided that a more practically-based route would be a better way to learn the trade and successfully applied for a JTL apprenticeship.

Having particularly enjoyed learning new things every day whilst he was an apprentice, Chris also loved the opportunity to travel all over the UK visiting different places and meeting new people. As a qualified electrician he continues to enjoy the same variety, working across industrial and commercial projects.

"Sometimes I start work in the early hours of the morning, depending on the job, and I only finish when the job's done so there's no routine to my day and I really like that," says Chris. "Often I'm working in a mucky industrial environment, at other times in a spotlessly clean food factory and then sometimes we could get an urgent call out in the middle of the day because a crucial piece of factory machinery has broken down. That variety makes the work really interesting. Currently, I've been on the same site for four months because the client we're working for is extending an existing office block and building a second new one; other jobs involve a quick fix and can be resolved in a few hours."

Chris says he wouldn't hesitate to advise current school or college leavers to take up an apprenticeship. He feels that learning a job practically and benefitting from other people's experience is a big plus, as is the chance to gain real work experience whilst you're still learning. He points out that there's still an opportunity to get additional qualifications once an apprenticeship is completed. Chris is eager to focus on programming and, with the support of his employer, is currently investigating the opportunities to develop his career in that direction.

He added: "I felt like all my hard work had paid off when I won the regional award. I know how much effort everyone puts into their apprenticeship and I knew I was up against the best candidates in Yorkshire and Humberside, so I was very happy to win! My parents were incredibly proud too. It would be such an honour to get the national title - I can't quite put it into words. It would also be great for my CV of course!"

Lilleker Bros website
JTL Training website

Images: JTL

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