PE-backed training provider in seven-figure swoop for Ashbourne company
Realise Training Group, backed by private equity firm Endless’ Enact fund, has confirmed its acquisition of Smart Gas Training and Assessment Centre for a seven-figure sum.
Since securing investment from the Enact Fund in 2020, Sheffield-based Realise has grown significantly and currently has a team of more than 500 staff supporting over 16,500 learners.
It is formalising a new group structure and strategy, broadening its commercial offering and diversifying into another regulated employment sector.
Realise’s acquisition of Smart Gas is its third in as many years.
Smart Gas is based in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. With Smart Gas offering specialist training in regulated industries, it opens a direct path for Realise to move into these sectors while also strengthening the overall businesses portfolio.
Smart Gas was formed in 2016 by departing directors Patrick O’Sullivan and John Grocott and offers air source heat pump, gas, plumbing and heating training, including the Level 3 Gas Engineering Operative Apprenticeship course and ACS GAS accreditations.
Realise has now taken over ownership of the training centre and is planning to use its resources as a major training provider to help grow the Smart Gas offering to new and current engineers in multiple locations across the East Midlands and, in the long term, England.
The move comes after the government announced a £600m investment into training up to 60,000 skilled construction workers.
Gregg Scott, CEO of Realise Training Group, said; “We are committed to not just off-the-shelf products such as apprenticeships, skills bootcamps or adult skills, but to being a fully integrated training solutions business.
“We listen to the training problems of organisations and our teams create a bespoke solution.
“As well as supporting investment in green energy and the push for net zero through our Smart Gas acquisition, we are continuing to focus on reducing economic inactivity and promoting social mobility throughout the UK.”
Paul Denvers, partner at Endless, added: “We are happy to see how Realise is going from strength-to-strength and entering new markets within the apprenticeship and adult education sector.
“Expanding into additional regulated employment markets will help bring more learners into the high demand sectors, as well as continuing to support quality delivery in the critical infrastructure sectors we are well established in.”
The Smart Gas acquisition was supported with advice from James Cook from Womble Bond Dickinson, Russ Cahill from Tax Advisory Partnership and Paul Fox from Fox Lloyd Jones.
Realise also recently secured a multi-million pound facility from OakNorth, a digital bank designed to empower SMEs to support expansion and innovation.
