North West Services

What North West Services does

North West Services is a UK-based vocational training provider specializing in operator certification for construction plant and machinery. Founded in 2009 by Simon Dack and Andrew Cullum, the company operates from a 15-acre purpose-built training facility in Ashton-in-Makerfield, near Wigan, and offers more than 30 categories of plant training across equipment types including excavators (180 and 360), articulated dump trucks, dumpers, telescopic handlers, ride-on rollers, lorry loaders, and HIABs. Its training is delivered through three accredited certification pathways: CPCS (Construction Plant Competence Scheme) testing, NPORS (National Plant Operators Registration Scheme) registration, and NOCN Cskills Awards Level 2 Plant Operations NVQ.

The company's core product is multi-day instructor-led courses, structured as either novice (typically up to 10 days) or experienced worker (1 day) tracks, with published unit pricing of approximately £1,025 plus VAT for a 5-day telehandler course and £1,950 plus VAT for a 10-day excavator 360 course. The business monetizes primarily through pay-as-you-go course fees, supplemented by track and equipment hire and a finance partnership with Ideal4Finance that allows customers to spread course costs. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via a website events calendar, phone, and email booking channels, with on-site corporate training available subject to site criteria.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, parent entity, or subsidiaries. Its two co-founders continue to lead operations, supported by an undisclosed number of accredited trainers. The addressable customer base spans individual operators seeking employment qualifications and construction firms needing regulatory-compliant competence certification for their workforce.

Name

North West Services

Legal name

North West Services

Website

https://northwestservices.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North West Services is a UK-based plant operator training provider operating a 15-acre facility in Ashton-in-Makerfield, delivering CPCS, NPORS, and NVQ-accredited courses across 30+ construction equipment categories to individual operators and construction firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Plant Operator Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Skilled Trades, Safety & Compliance Certification Prep (OSHA, HAZMAT, welding, electrical, HVAC) (EDANAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH), Driver & Technician Training, Certification & Workforce Management (THAIANAJ)

Keywords

• Plant operator training
• Construction equipment certification
• CPCS accredited courses
• NPORS training provider
• Vocational plant training

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashton-in-Makerfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Course Fees: One-time course fees for plant operator training across multiple equipment categories including excavators, dump trucks, telescopic handlers, ride-on rollers, and lorry loaders. Courses offered at novice and experienced worker levels with different durations and pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

North West Services is a UK-based vocational training provider operating a purpose-built 15-acre plant training facility in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan. The company delivers accredited construction plant operator certification courses across CPCS, NPORS, and NVQ (via NOCN Cskills Awards) schemes, covering 30+ equipment categories including excavators (180 and 360), telescopic handlers, dump trucks, dumpers, ride-on rollers, lorry loaders, and HIAB units. Beyond scheduled facility-based courses, the business offers on-site corporate training, track hire, and flexible finance arrangements for course bookings.

Product overview

North West Services is a plant training provider offering instructor-led training courses for construction and industrial plant equipment operators. The company provides eight distinct equipment training courses: Articulated Dump Truck, Dumper, Lorry Loader, HIAB, Ride on Roller, Telescopic Handler, Excavator 180, and Excavator 360 training. These training courses are offered through three accredited certification schemes: CPCS (Construction Plant Competence Scheme), NPORS (National Plant Operators Registration Scheme), and NOCN Cskills Awards Level 2 Plant Operations NVQ. The company operates from a purpose-built 15-acre training facility in Ashton-in-Makerfield, near Wigan, and also provides track/equipment hire and financing options for training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Operators receive CPCS card certification recognized by Major Home Builders Group and UK Contractors Group

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CITB (Construction Industry Training Board): UK statutory body that owns and administers the CPCS scheme and runs its own training colleges. Directly comparable as the governing incumbent for the same plant operator competence framework North West Services delivers against.
• Balfour Beatty plc: Large UK infrastructure contractor with internal training capabilities and supplier requirements for CPCS/NPORS-certified plant operators. Comparable procurement standards and adjacent training delivery for its own workforce.
• BAM Construct UK: Major UK contractor that runs in-house plant operator training and apprenticeship programmes as part of a broader construction services portfolio. Comparable end customer for certified operators and adjacent competitor for enterprise training contracts.

Direct peers

• Construction Skills People: UK plant and construction training provider offering accredited courses on excavators, dumpers and telehandlers. Comparable product breadth across plant categories and similar CPCS/NPORS delivery model.
• National Construction College: CITB-owned CPCS Test Centre network delivering plant operator training across multiple UK sites. Closest direct competitor in the same CPCS/NPORS training category with similar purpose-built facility model.
• Mentor Training Solutions: UK accredited plant training provider delivering CPCS and NPORS courses on multiple equipment categories. Directly comparable accreditation positioning and on-site/centre-based delivery model.
• Plant Training Ltd: UK plant operator training provider offering CPCS and NPORS accredited courses across excavator, dumper, telehandler and roller categories. Operates in the same regulatory accreditation schemes and competes for the same construction contractor customers.
• Total Training Solutions: UK training provider delivering CPCS, NPORS and NPORS CSCS plant operator courses nationwide. Comparable product mix, accreditation stack, and target buyer (UK construction contractors needing certified operators).

Emerging players

• SafetySkills / STARS Training Services: UK health & safety and plant training provider with overlapping accreditation-based courses and similar direct-to-customer bookings model. Comparable category-level positioning in vocational construction training.
• SIMIAN (Scaffold Industry Training): UK construction training provider with adjacent accreditation-based course portfolio (CISRS, NPORS) serving overlapping construction contractor customers. Comparable operating model of scheme-based, site-relevant training with similar end buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-west-services

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 North West Services