Expansion plans for Blackpool trainers

Training Works was set up by husband an wife team Philip and Sharon Bonell to take advantage of their collective 40 years experience in the field.

The company, based at the Enterprise Centre in Lytham Road, offers apprenticeships and training throughout Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre and has a staff of 10.

It specialises in childcare, health and social care, business administration, team leading, management, customer services, and retail management and currently has 250 apprentices currently working through a qualification.

It also run course’s for people aged 19-24 (traineeships) that equip people with the skills to gain employment in the health and social care, and childcare sector.

But now the firm is moving into other sectors, including accountancy and catering and hospitality.

Blackpool resident and company managing director Philip Bonell said: “I have worked in the industry for 30 years for some major companies but I wanted to take a much more local approach using local expertise and knowledge and the passion that local people have for their area.

“We are covering the western part of Lancashire, everything to the west of the M6 from Carnforth to Skelmersdale but the bulk of our activities are local to the Fylde coast.

“There are other national and international training companies but they do not tend to fulfil the needs in the specific areas.

“I am a great believer in localism.

“For example, I am the company director but when one of the young girls we sent on a placement said she had been dropped at the wrong nursery I was on the phone giving her directions to walk there.

“Local knowledge on the area the businesses, employers, schools, referral agencies and needs is vital.

“We are focussing on our traineeships for the young people. These give the basic skills they need to be ready for employers and they come out with a certificate at the end of it. It is very successful, 60 per cent get a job at the end of it.”