In-Comm Training looks to build on £7.5m investment drive

In-Comm Training, which has supported more than 2,500 people with apprenticeships and upskilling opportunities in 2018, has promoted Chris Reeves to operations director, overseeing the further expansion of academies in Aldridge, Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury.

The former member of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers will join directors Colin Mills, Geoff Jones and Bekki Phillips on the senior management team, with the latter moving to managing director.

This follows news that former joint-MD Gareth Jones will be stepping down from his full-time role in August to concentrate on new opportunities. He will still remain as a shareholder and will provide support with strategy, long-term business planning and the development of the In-Comm Training & Manufacturing Group.

“Working with our consortium partners, we have secured and delivered more than £7.5 million of investment in creating three world class training centres in the West Midlands,” said Bekki.

“It has been a hectic time and the opportunity now is ensuring we capitalise on these facilities and maintaining strong business and apprenticeship engagement.

“We have spent the last twelve months establishing an excellent and robust leadership team that will form the backbone of the business going forward and that includes experienced industry specialists Jason Daniels and Stuart Dallaway, along with Chris Reeves.

“The latter has done a fantastic job as operations manager and will now take a more strategic involvement in the development of the In-Comm technical academy in Aldridge and the Marches Centre of Manufacturing and Technology in Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury.

“In total, that’s over 75,000 sq ft of outstanding training space that can cater for up to 2,000 apprentices every year and is capable of supporting in excess of 3,000 businesses. This capacity is the challenge we are tackling, but it also represents a fantastic opportunity for companies to get involved with us, in order to help them address the skills shortage they are facing.”

Chris, who held roles in logistics, training and recruitment during a 10-year career with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, joined In-Comm Training in 2014 as an assessor before working his way up to operations manager.

He has impressed the senior management team with his ability to manage the day-to-day operations of the three academies, as well as integrating up to 40 new trailblazer apprenticeships, covering anything from machining and metrology to heritage and electronics.

As operations director, he will now be tasked with the on-boarding process for new and existing clients, ensuring a well-balanced and focused solution to their skills requirements journey.

Chris added: “This is a great way to celebrate five years at In-Comm and comes at a very exciting stage of our development as a leading provider of vocational training in the UK.

“I’ve always had a passion for personal development and this new role gives me the opportunity to positively influence over 2,500 different people every year – and this figure will grow as we increase engagement and open up all areas of our investment.”