Waterside Training

What Waterside Training does

Waterside Training Limited is a specialist engineering and manufacturing training provider headquartered at the Technology Campus in St Helens, Merseyside, serving employers and learners primarily across North West England with broader UK-wide delivery. The company operates from a purpose-built STEM Centre comprising workshops, seminar rooms, and classrooms designed for both theory and practical instruction, with a £1 million Centre of Precision Engineering complementing the facility. Its core offerings are split between (1) government-funded apprenticeship programmes covering 12+ Level 3 standards including Engineering Manufacturing Technician, Engineering Maintenance Technician (single and dual discipline), Mechatronics, Machining, Engineering Design, Laboratory Technician, Food and Drink Technical Operator, Safety/Health/Environment Technician, Plate Welder, Supply Chain Warehouse Operative, and Process Industry Manufacturing Technician; and (2) commercial fee-for-service technical training across five disciplines — Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Fabrication & Welding, Health & Safety, and Safety Management — alongside bespoke employer-tailored programmes. Qualifications are accredited through City & Guilds, EAL, NOCN, and SIAS, with the company operating as an End Point Assessment Organisation partner.

The business model blends three revenue streams: apprenticeship funding (via the Apprenticeship Levy / Growth and Skills Levy and government co-funding for SMEs), commercial course fees (pay-as-you-go per course, ranging from £495 for a 3-day 18th Edition Wiring Regulations course to £1,850 for a 10-day Electrical Maintenance programme), and bespoke training quoted per employer. Go-to-market is sales-led, combining direct employer engagement (site visits, bespoke proposals), school and college careers events for apprentice recruitment, and an online application/vacancy system. The company was established on 1 January 1996 as a collaboration between NSG (Pilkington), St Helens College, and Knauf Insulation, with roots dating back to 1957 as Lakeside Training and Development; St Helens College acquired NSG's shares in 2019, reshaping the ownership structure. Leadership is led by Managing Director Julia Callaghan (joined 2020), with a senior team drawn predominantly from Pilkington and ex-Lakeside apprentice backgrounds, lending significant industrial credibility. The company serves a diversified enterprise customer base including Vanderlande, Essity, NUVIA, PepsiCo, Pilkington, Ford, GXO, Tarmac, Hitachi, AB World Foods, NGF Europe, and Stateside Foods.

Name

Waterside Training

Legal name

Waterside Training Limited

Website

https://waterside-training.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Waterside Training is a UK specialist training provider delivering government-funded engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships plus fee-for-service commercial technical courses (electrical, mechanical, welding, health and safety) from its STEM Centre in St Helens, serving employers and apprentice candidates primarily across North West England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Engineering and Manufacturing Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

Keywords

• Engineering apprenticeships
• Commercial training courses
• Vocational training services
• Manufacturing skills training
• Industrial technical training

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Helens

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Apprenticeship Programmes: Government-funded apprenticeship training programmes for engineering and manufacturing, where training costs are funded through the Apprenticeship Levy or government funding depending on employer size.
2. Commercial Training Courses: Fee-for-service technical and specialist courses in Electrical, Mechanical, Welding, Health & Safety, and Safety Management delivered at their training centre or customer premises.
3. Bespoke Training Programmes: Customised training packages developed in partnership with employers to address specific workforce skill gaps. Pricing is quote-based.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Waterside Training is a specialist engineering and manufacturing training provider based at its STEM Centre in St. Helens, delivering government-funded Level 3 apprenticeship programmes across 12 standards (maintenance, mechatronics, machining, design, welding, food and drink, laboratory, safety, supply chain and process industry) alongside a catalogue of fee-for-service commercial short courses in electrical, mechanical, fabrication/welding, health and safety, and safety management (NEBOSH/IOSH). The company serves industrial employers and individual apprentices across the North West and wider UK, with bespoke programmes, end-point assessment services and apprenticeship recruitment/onboarding support as additional paid offerings.

Product overview

Waterside Training is a specialist training provider offering a portfolio of engineering and manufacturing apprenticeship programmes and commercial training courses. The apprenticeship arm delivers 12 distinct Level 3 standards including Engineering Maintenance Technician (Single and Dual Discipline), Engineering Manufacturing Technician, Mechatronics, Machining, Engineering Design Technician, Laboratory Technician, and sector-specific programmes like Food and Drink Technical Operator and Safety Health Environment Technician. Commercial training spans five core categories: Electrical Engineering (18th Edition Wiring Regulations, PLCs, Motor Control, Electrical Maintenance), Mechanical Engineering (Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Mechanical Maintenance, CAD Design), Fabrication & Welding (MMA, TIG, MIG, Coded Welding Assessments), Health & Safety (First Aid, Forklift, Crane, Lock Out Tag Out), and Safety Management (NEBOSH, IOSH, COSHH, Risk Assessment). The company also provides End Point Assessment services, recruitment and onboarding support, and bespoke training programmes. All programmes are delivered at the STEM Centre in St Helens, Merseyside, in partnership with St Helens College, with certification options through City & Guilds, EAL, NOCN, and SIAS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engineering Apprenticeship Programmes
• End Point Assessment Services
• Apprenticeship Recruitment and Onboarding Services
• Electrical Engineering Commercial Training Courses
• Mechanical Engineering Commercial Training Courses
• Fabrication and Welding Commercial Training Courses
• Health and Safety Commercial Training Courses
• Safety Management Commercial Training Courses
• Bespoke Training Programmes Customised training programmes tailored to specific company requirements, operational processes and technical procedures, delivered at Waterside's STEM Centre or on-site at employer premises. Quote-based pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Almost all apprentices go on to full-time employment with their sponsoring employers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• St Helens CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996Founding partner in the establishment of Waterside Training Limited in 1996. Collaboration between industry and education providing apprenticeship and technical training programmes. St Helens College bought NSG shares in 2019 in conjunction with Knauf Insulation.
• NSG Group (Pilkington)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal founding partner from 1996 alongside St Helens College and Knauf Insulation. Waterside originated from Pilkington Glass training operations dating back to 1957. Long-standing relationship preserved over decades.
• Knauf InsulationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner in the establishment of Waterside Training Limited in 1996. Collaboration between industry and education for apprenticeship and technical training delivery.
• City and GuildscoreOthersAccreditation partner for qualifications including 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (City & Guilds 2382-26) and other vocational qualifications.
• EAL (Excellence, Achievement and Learning)coreOthersAccreditation body for vocational qualifications offered through Waterside Training programmes.
• NOCN GroupcoreOthersEnd Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) partner for apprenticeship end point assessments.
• SIAS (SummitSkills)coreOthersEnd Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) partner for apprenticeship assessments.
• NGF EuropecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor employer partner providing apprenticeship opportunities for engineering and manufacturing. Long-term relationship with Waterside Training.
• VanderlandecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrincipal training provider in the Northwest delivering technical training including Mechanical Maintenance VRQ L2 programme. Training delivered to Engineering Support Operatives across four shifts.
• EssitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApprenticeship provider for 7 years. Essity management considers Waterside Training the strongest apprenticeship provider on the market.
• NUVIAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNuclear industry employer partner sponsoring Waterside apprentices including Cailey Miller who won UK Nuclear Skills Awards 2024.
• PepsiComajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor multinational employer partner for apprenticeship programmes.
• Knauf InsulationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOriginal founding partner and ongoing employer partner for apprenticeships.
• Stateside FoodsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmployer partner for apprenticeship delivery.
• PilkingtonmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing employer partner with historical ties to Waterside's origins.
• GXOmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLogistics employer partner for apprenticeship programmes.
• TarmacmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConstruction and building materials employer partner for apprenticeships.
• FordmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAutomotive employer partner for apprenticeship delivery.
• AB World FoodsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFood manufacturing employer developing talent pipeline through apprenticeships.
• HitachimajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTechnology employer partner for apprenticeship programmes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• WhiteHat Group: WhiteHat Group is a UK apprenticeship provider focused on connecting employers with emerging talent, offering apprenticeship programmes across professional services and some technical sectors, operating at a smaller and more focused scale than Waterside.

Broad incumbents

• Remit Group: Remit Group is one of the UK's largest independent training and apprenticeship providers, offering programmes across multiple sectors including engineering, with significantly broader geographic coverage than Waterside Training.
• Realise: Realise is a UK apprenticeship and training provider delivering programmes across multiple sectors and regions, competing for the same engineering/manufacturing employer apprenticeship budgets as Waterside Training but at larger scale.
• QA Apprenticeships: QA is a major UK training provider offering apprenticeships and commercial courses across technology, engineering, and business disciplines, with significantly broader portfolio and geographic coverage than Waterside Training.
• Lifetime Training: Lifetime Training is a major UK training provider offering apprenticeship programmes and commercial training across multiple sectors including health, fitness, childcare, and some engineering disciplines, with broader scale and reach than Waterside.

Direct peers

• T3 Training: T3 Training is a UK specialist engineering apprenticeship provider (now part of BPP) delivering technical apprenticeship programmes in manufacturing and engineering disciplines, sharing Waterside's engineering-focused apprenticeship delivery model and North West client base.
• Baltic Apprenticeships: Baltic Apprenticeships is a large UK independent apprenticeship provider delivering apprenticeship programmes across multiple sectors including engineering and manufacturing, with a similar employer-sponsored recruitment and onboarding model to Waterside.
• Gen2: Gen2 is a UK-based engineering and manufacturing apprenticeship training provider operating from West Cumbria with a similar employer-led apprenticeship model to Waterside Training, focused on technical disciplines including mechanical, electrical, process, and instrumentation.

Regional players

• Hugh Baird College: Hugh Baird College is a Merseyside-based further education college offering engineering and manufacturing apprenticeship programmes in the same Liverpool City Region geography as Waterside, representing direct regional competition for apprenticeship candidates and employers.

Others

• St Helens College: St Helens College is the founding strategic partner of Waterside Training and a local further education institution offering broader vocational and academic programmes; while not a direct competitor, it shares governance ties and overlapping apprenticeship offerings in the St Helens catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WatersideT
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfFcQO7jm6suJU_-1wHRBzQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Waterside-Training-123528077738951
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/watersidetrainingltd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Waterside Training