Teesside training firm aim high following £70,000 investment

A Teesside training specialist is aiming high to win the highest possible industry accreditation following a £70,000 investment.

Teesside Rigging & Lifting (TRL) provides specialist training for riggers and erectors in the oil and gas industry.

The firm is currently in the final stages of securing the highest available accreditation in its industry from skills body the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO).

TRL is aiming to use the OPITO accreditation to attract new business to the north east from clients both within and outside the region.

Their development plans have been backed by a £70,000 investment from the Finance For Business North East Growth Fund, administered by regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers.

The investment will also help to provide the working capital required to take on more and bigger contracts with the offshore sector’s biggest names, as well as to investigate new opportunities in the offshore wind sector.

Managing Director Steve Smith says “The OPITO accreditation will complement the accreditations that TRL already hold from the industry’s other two main training bodies, the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), and will make TRL one of only a small number of companies to be recognised by all three organisations”.

Teesside Rigging & Lifting was established in 2009 by experienced oil industry worker Steve Smith, whose father worked in the industry before him.

To acquire the OPITO accreditation TRL must complete a rigorous six-month qualification process.

Finance director Carl Hopkins says: “The north east has a strong offshore sector, but up until now, a number of training contracts from these firms have been going to providers up in Aberdeen.

“Securing OPITO accreditation will mean that we will be able to compete with these providers on a level playing field, and we’re confident that this will not only see a growing number of companies in the region turning to us to meet their training needs, but that we’ll also start to attract business away from Aberdeen and into the north east.

“Our hope is to use this as a platform on which to build the business’s future growth, and to build on the excellent reputation that we are gaining by the oil and gas industry’s leading players for the quality training we are providing.

“The offshore renewables sector also potentially offers a great deal of opportunity for us, as many of the skills needed to work in it match the areas that we cover, and the Growth Fund investment will help us explore what the best way to address it is going to be.

“NEL offered the right funding structure for our specific requirements and took the time to properly assess exactly what we needed.

“The investment application process was detailed but smooth, and their support will make a tangible difference to our future ambitions.”

Aimed at regional businesses which are at a development and growth stage, the Growth Fund forms part of the wider Finance for Business North East Fund.

David Thomas, investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, said: “Teesside Rigging & Lifting’s management team has a precisely drawn plan for maximising the impressive facilities and expertise that the company offers, and the increased industry interest that’s already coming their way is evidence of the strength of this offering.”