Liverpool training provider The Learning Foundry sees revenues grow 80% to £3.8m as it returns to profit and opens a specialist construction and green skills centre. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool training provider The Learning Foundry (TLF) has opened a second training hub in the city focused on construction, green skills and housing management.

This expansion comes following a return to profit for the business which is owned by the £100m-turnover social housing provider The Regenda Group. This new centre is based in Boundary Street in Kirkdale.

Accounts filed at Companies House reveal TFL, which became part of Regenda in 2017, reported revenues of £3.8m in the 12 months to March 31, 2024. This is 80% higher than the £2.1m figure for the previous year.

Pre-tax profits for the period came in at £15,379. This is against a pre-tax loss of more than £74,000 in the previous year. Writing in the accounts director Dr Michael Birkett said the business had seen its performance “significantly” improve.

He added: “The company has seen an improvement in apprenticeship starts, following the pandemic, as businesses return to normal operations, enabling the business to grow.

“Performance has further improved in the year due to successfully securing a contract to deliver on the Adult Education Budget with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.”

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson both attended the launch of the new Kirkdale centre. TLF’s main centre is in Renshaw Street in Liverpool city centre.

In the year covered by the above accounts Regenda invested £678,000 into TFL although it has declined to say how much the new site is costing. 

It will offer training in construction, green skills and housing management, for people aged 16-plus across the Liverpool city region and beyond. They will receive hands-on experience that will lead to a range of in-demand skills in the built environment sector.

Liverpool city region is experiencing a significant construction skills gap with more than £2bn in new construction projects anticipated annually for the next five years.

TLF’s interim managing director, Terry Collier, explained: “The launch of our Skills Centre is crucial for The Learning Foundry.

“Creating a designated home for built environment training is giving our communities the opportunity to access practical skills that employers are seeking in their recruitment processes.

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“Working collaboratively with our partners across The Regenda Group enables TLF to address skill gaps within the sector so our learners transition quickly and effectively into employees that have immediate impact in the workforce.”

As part of The Regenda Group, TFL will also work with other entities within the group including social housing provider Regenda Homes, construction specialists M&Y, Maintenance and Construction and and green skills experts Ecogee.