News Updates

Our £200,000 milestone - Posted 31st March 2005.

lomax flame

A £200,000 training centre designed to help plug the utilities skills gap across the North is now fully operational with dozens of new courses available.

The Howdon Utilities Training Centre, which employs more than a dozen full and parttime staff, offers over 100 training opportunities for people seeking to join the utility industries or for existing employees needing to update their skills.
Based at a former Transco depot site, Howdon is Lomax's fourth training centre. It was officially opened at the end of last year by Ruth Thompson OBE, Group Corporate Affairs Director for National Grid Transco, one of Lomax's largest company clients.

Since then Lomax has continued to further develop the site, which now offers everything from external training bays for pipe laying and other utility work to workshop and conference facilities.

Managing Director Jim Lomax said the company has faced exciting and challenging times. "The opening of the new centre is a major milestone for us all - and we believe we can now offer some of the best facilities in the country to train and retrain people working for the utilities," he said.
opening curtains to award

"We have a great team and it's their hard work and the vision of the management team that has helped us come so far so quickly.
"But it has been our clients, who have returned to us time and again, who have been the main reason for our success and we look forward to serving them even better."

Ruth Thompson praised the company: "Lomax Training Services is a real success story for the North of England. Jim Lomax and his team have seized a real opportunity to create a business to fill a real gap in the market - and have recognised the potential for long term stability.

"It's been a success in creating jobs, delivering for its customers and contributing to the local economy."

"It's not just about facilities though. Jim has developed his business to strive for excellence and the many award and accreditations achieved provide independent evidence that this business is focused on delivering the best possible support for its customers."

"I am particularly delighted that Lomax Training Services is an Investor in People - I remember well the work Jim put in when we worked together at Transco to deliver IIP for us. It was not easy and the standards are high - but we all recognise that a company that invests in its own people also has us, the customers, at its centre too."

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