Apprenticeships at North Lancs Training Group

Established in 1969 by the Furniture & Timber Training Board to deliver training to the furniture industry, North Lancs Training Group continues to provide high quality training in all aspects of Furniture Manufacturing; from fitted furniture, finishing and general manufacturing to upholstery, bed manufacture and furniture CNC specialist.

We believe in developing a true partnership approach to Apprenticeship delivery. We are able to utilise our expertise to provide advice regarding our Furniture Apprenticeship Standards and delivery of 20 per cent off-the-job training; which may include delivery one day per week, for a proportion of every day, one week in every five, or in a block at the beginning, middle or end of the programme.

Employers seeking off-site Apprenticeship training, or short courses in specialist furniture techniques, can take advantage of our Furniture Centre of Vocational Excellence, based in Accrington.

Training in wood machining, upholstery, polishing and finishing is available, on both traditional and CNC machinery, incorporating sawing, planing, moulding and sanding machines.

There is also a facility for training in modern and contemporary upholstery and spray/hand polishing techniques.

Case Study: Sofology

Our partnership with sofa specialist, Sofology spans over a decade.

A collaborative approach to Apprenticeship design and delivery has led to the development of an ‘Academy of Learning’, bespoke promotional and training materials, and over 100 ‘Sofologists’ completing an Apprenticeship.  

Adam Finch, Sofology learning and development advisor, says: “When you hear the word Apprenticeship you think 16-18 year olds, but they are much more than that. They offer a range of people of different ages, different opportunities to learn and develop.

“Our Apprenticeship work with NLTG has allowed us to build a more progressive workforce over the years. We have branched out into offering an Operations 'Academy of Learning', with NLTG providing a number of different Apprenticeships to enable us to have a more engaged and up-skilled operations function.

"We have expanded this into Retail and seen a more engaged workforce, and more importantly, a culture of learning within Sofology.

“No task is too big or too small for the NLTG team and we have a real personal connection that helped us land the Academy of Learning at Sofology.”

In addition to Furniture, we deliver Apprenticeships at Levels 2 to 4 in a variety of occupations including: Business Administration, Customer Service, IT, Catering & Hospitality, Warehousing & Storage, Glass Occupations, Team Leading, Management and Retail.

T: 01254 300779 E: [email protected]