History of Llite
In 2000 the CITB (now Construction Skills) published a report that said, “68,800 qualified new entrants a year must be recruited to the construction sector in England alone,” and only, “40% of construction staff are suitably qualified.” There was further evidence that stated that capital regeneration projects and infrastructure improvements across Yorkshire were being undertaken by construction workers from outside the region because there simply weren’t enough qualified construction staff in the region. Against this background Local Labour Initiative Training and Enterprise, better known as Llite, was established in March 2001.
The company was set up by a number of directors with backgrounds in construction, training and regeneration. Training Centres equipped for a number of crafts were set up in Hull and Sheffield and staffed by time served tradesmen with teaching qualifications. The company is now wholly owned by one the original directors, Christine Willson who recalls, “Llite was set up meet the needs of local employers and companies across Yorkshire who wanted to recruit well trained local people. We started with a small staff force delivering Apprenticeships and quickly won a number of contracts to work with young people and unemployed people, which we continue to do today.”
“Llite has been about providing quality training linked to jobs with local companies. We aim to help people develop good careers based on the knowledge they gain at Llite." Christine Willson
In 2008 Llite broadened its training portfolio to meet changing labour market demands. Strategy Director James Epworth explains, “Llite now delivers construction, manufacturing, warehousing and green training programmes. We widened our portfolio during the recession because employers were demanding new skills and multi skilled staff. We produce an annual Labour Market Information report to make sure the training we deliver is needed and relevant to local employers."
In 2009 Llite opened a new training centre in Scunthorpe. Other key points in Llite’s history include achieving Investors in People in 2003, a Grade 1 ‘Outstanding’ in 2007, the Matrix Standard in 2008 and winning Adult Engagement Provider of the Year in 2010. Christine has overseen these successes and explains, “Quality is very important to all staff at Llite, we want learners to have the best experience possible and I am very proud that this has been recognised with our Grade 1 status and through other awards.”
Llite Highlights
Since 2001 Llite:
- Trained over 10,000 people
- Helped over 5,000 people achieve accredited Level 2 qualifications.
- 3,000 of Llite’s learners have moved into employment after training with Llite.
- More Stats to be added at a later date
Future of Llite
In 2011 Llite overhauled its branding to reflect the company’s ambitious plans for the next ten years, as James explains, “The staff at Llite are proud of their hard work and achievement over the last ten years, and rightly so. We plan to continue working with unemployed and young people and be at the forefront of local regeneration. Additionally we have plans to deliver vocational training directly for local companies and further increase our portfolio of training ready for the next ten years."