Employers, start your search for new skills here:

Training Grant Galvanises Business Growth

Although they’re based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, electrical installation company Underwood Electrical Ltd has a widespread area of operation, carrying out work in the wider counties of Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire. To help them appeal to clients even further, Underwood Electrical looked into growing their business by introducing additional services to their remit – however, like many businesses, they found that the cost of training created an obstacle for upskilling their team.

Following the pandemic, Underwood Electrical searched online for potential funding opportunities. Upon visiting their local council’s website, they found information about the Skills Hub Training Grants available to SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises). Underwood Electrical have since been awarded two Training Grants: the first went towards a course that gave their staff the ability to install electric vehicle (EV) charge points outside homes and businesses, and the second allowed them to introduce solar and battery storage into their portfolio of works. Currently they employ four full-time workers and two subcontractors, but with these additional services, they anticipate that their workforce will increase in the coming months, which will in turn help them to meet demand and grow the business further.

Director Jason Brown told us: “We have had a great response from training, as we have been able to offer a wider scope of works; we’ve also managed to increase our staff by one hundred per cent since before the pandemic, which has proved it a success.

We would recommend the Skills Hub Training Grant to others, since if the correct training is chosen from the business’ sector it would have a positive impact on both the staff and the customers.”

You can find out more about Underwood Electrical Ltd on their website: Certified Electrical Installers | Underwood Electrical Ltd | Staffordshire UK (underwood-electrical.co.uk)