Business Development |

CASE STUDY

Switched on to Training & Development 
Switch Gear and Controls specialises in the design and manufacture of high and low voltage electrical equipment. The company has undergone considerable change over the past 12 months after increasing its turnover from £1.6m in 2007 to £3.2m during the last financial year. 
The company first sought Business LinkÕs help in 2005 when expanding from its offices in Manchester to its manufacturing facility in Haydock. Founder Marc Shaw explains ÒFrom the outset, whatever we needed we were able to contact Business Link and they told us the people who could give us expert advice and support. 
ÒBusiness Link helped provide contacts and guidance to ensure the business was compliant with health and safety legislation to gain ISO 9001 accreditation. Business Link was also able to point us in the right direction to get our website and catalogues underway and they even helped us with contacts to produce them.Ó 

Plugging the skills gap 
Shaw identified training as a key requirement to feed the companyÕs growth and Switch Gear & Controls now works hard to develop talent within the business through NVQs and Apprenticeships. Indeed, apprentice fitter / wireman, Danny Rannard, has recently been named North West Apprentice of the Year, an accolade of which the company is justly very proud. 
Business Link Northwest played a key role in helping Switch Gear & Controls to access training opportunities by helping identify training needs, forge relationships with training providers and ensure it benefits from the subsidised training available through the Train to Gain service. 



In addition to the ongoing apprenticeship and Train to Gain and MAS training taking place, the company is working with Business Link to identify management training for the production manager and leadership training for the senior team. 
ÒBusiness Link Northwest is an important partner for our business,Ó Shaw concludes: ÒOur relationship with them means that there is always someone we can contact for support and advice, which will be invaluable as we continue to grow.Ó 
L-R: Justin Shaw (Production Manager), Marc Shaw (Managing Director) and Danny
Rannard (Teamleader/Apprentice of the Year) of Switch Gear and Controls