Training firm expands into construction after acquiring Scottish provider
The Kingdom Group has completed its acquisition of Competence Matters, a firm that offers training courses in construction.
As part of the deal with Kingdom, the senior leadership team at Glasgow-based Competence Matters will remain in their roles.
This is to help ensure “continuity and smooth transition for both customers and new colleagues joining Kingdom”.
The deal means its training arm, Kingdom Academy, will offer “an enhanced proposition” to create “tailored training solutions”.
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The acquisition comes amid much discussion in the sector about how to improve training for construction staff.
This was highlighted by a recent report, which called for an overhaul of the construction skills system.
Last month, the government revealed changes to apprenticeships that it hopes will encourage their take-up in the construction sector, helping it to achieve its target of building 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament.
This as followed by a call from the Chartered Institute of Building for the introduction of a built-environment GCSE to encourage young people into the sector.
David Hanley, founder of Competence Matters, said: “After 20 incredible years of building and leading Competence Matters, the time has come for me to step back as I approach retirement.
“It has been a privilege to work alongside such a talented and dedicated team, and I am immensely grateful to every member of staff, past and present, for their hard work, passion and commitment to excellence.
“The Kingdom Group is the perfect partner to take Competence Matters into its next chapter. Their vision, values and expertise align perfectly with what we’ve built, and I am excited to see the opportunities this new partnership will bring for our colleagues and customers.”
The firm is based in Merseyside, with regional offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, London and Belfast, as well as a presence in India.
Terry Barton, chief executive of the Kingdom Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Competence Matters team and their valued customers to Kingdom. We have been and will always remain an ambitious company with ambitious goals.
“This acquisition strengthens our existing Kingdom Academy training business and we’re committed to supporting the senior leadership team in achieving our shared aspirations.”
There have been a number of recruitment drives in the sector over the past 12 months. Last year, Inside Housing launched its Housing Hires campaign to promote the social housing sector as a place to work and support people to find and develop careers at housing associations and councils.
At the end of last year, landlords in Manchester set a target to recruit 20% of their staff from social housing tenants by 2034.
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