The Aspire Group has acquired training provider Indigo Training
to expand and complement its existing range of services.
The move follows last month's announcement that the Group -
which also consists of Aspire Housing, PM Training and the Realise
Foundation charity - had secured £28m to acquire new
businesses, build 300 more properties and improve its existing
housing stock.
Indigo Training Solutions Ltd was established in 2004 and
operates from training centres in Stafford and Leek. It has more
than 30 staff and delivers training to those preparing for
employment and existing employees who are in a position to develop
their skills.
Indigo will operate as a social enterprise within the Aspire
Group, but retain its own brand identity and continue trading under
its own name.
Aspire Group chief executive Sinéad Butters said: "We are
delighted to announce that Indigo Training has joined the Aspire
Group, trading alongside PM Training as part of our network of
social enterprises.
"Both businesses share a genuine commitment to the delivery of
high quality training for employment and enhancing the lives of the
people we work with.
"Indigo, like PM Training, is a special business. We will
continue to ensure that its uniqueness is protected, and the
business is enhanced."
Indigo's training offer includes apprenticeships, foundation
learning and programmes in business administration, information and
communications technology (ICT), customer service, health and
social care, warehousing and distribution, management and team
leadership.
It also provides workshops in practical construction skills and
ICT for 14 to 16-year-old school pupils. This training helps to
provide practical skills and is particularly targeted at risk of
exclusion or who have already been excluded from schools.
As well as complementing PM Training's service offer, the
acquisition will allow the Aspire Group, which had primarily
focused on North Staffordshire, to expand into other areas of the
county.
"Both organisations are proud of our achievements and are
genuinely excited by this opportunity to expand our range of
services and broaden our geographical base," added Sinéad
Butters.
"We intend that the impact we will have together will far exceed
that which we currently have individually."
Richard and Jane Elsby, founders and directors of Indigo
Training, will continue to help lead the company as directors in
the Aspire Group's social enterprise arm.
Richard Elsby said: "Having established Indigo Training in 2004,
we have achieved some fantastic results in just seven years.
"It has always been very important to us that any company we
work with shares or ethos and standards, and I'm delighted that PM
Training and the Aspire Group do exactly that.
"This is a really exciting stage of our development and everyone
at Indigo is looking forward to continuing our growth as part of
the Aspire Group."
The Aspire Group was created from the merger of Aspire Housing
and PM Training in 2008. Since the acquisition of PM Training the
company has increased doubled staffing to around 100 now and
turnover to £4.2m in 2009/10.