IN4 Group acquires Midlands apprenticeship provider ATL

Professional technology training and skills provider IN4 Group has acquired Approved Training Ltd (ATL), a Midlands-based apprenticeship provider specialising in manufacturing and engineering, in a six-figure deal.

The move significantly strengthens the IN4 Group's national apprenticeship and workforce productivity offer.

Established in 2016, ATL has built a strong reputation in apprenticeship delivery, particularly in supporting manufacturing and engineering employers to develop skilled, job-ready talent.

The business holds a “Good” Ofsted rating and works with a wide range of employers.

 IN4 Group is led by Blackburn's Mo Isap OBE who is also chair of the Lancashire Business Board.

As part of the deal, IN4 Group has entered into a strategic partnership with GMP Recruitment, founded by James Cronin and Mike Pincott, to scale its recruit, train, and deploy model nationwide, bringing recruitment and apprenticeship delivery closer to employer demand.

The deal enables IN4, headquartered at MediaCity, Salford, to launch and scale its Modern Workplace Apprenticeships solution, designed to help employers use Apprenticeship Levy funding to achieve immediate productivity outcomes through workforce-wide upskilling. 

It will also allow IN4 to increase its headcount by more than 20 per cent.

Through the acquisition, ATL’s delivery capability is being integrated into IN4’s wider ecosystem of technology training programmes. This includes MIND (The Power of Mums in Data), supporting career-break mums into digital and business analyst apprenticeship roles; The Creative Engine, developing creative and AI talent for the brand and advertising sectors; and Modern Worker for the Modern Workplace (MWMW), focused on workforce-wide upskilling to help organisations adopt digital and AI-enabled tools and improve productivity.

Together, these programmes create structured pathways for existing employees, new entrants and career changers, while giving employers access to a more strategic, outcomes-led approach to apprenticeships and skills development.

The expanded offer will be delivered across IN4’s four core regions: Greater Manchester and Lancashire, Liverpool, the Midlands, and London, unlocking local talent and supporting economic growth while operating at a national level.

Mo Isap, chief executive of IN4 Group, said: “This acquisition strengthens our ability to connect local talent into high-skilled and well-paid careers, enabled by achieving tangible productivity and growth outcomes for employers of all sizes.

 “We have spent the past year developing employer-led AI-enabled apprenticeship pathways and programmes, aligned to the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy and their continued investment and adaptation of the Apprenticeship Levy.”

 Legal advice on the transaction was provided by law firm Freeths LLP, led by corporate partner Andy Francey, who was supported by Farrell Tang and education sector specialist Frank Suttie.

 Organisations interested in our Modern Workplace Apprenticeships or technology upskilling programmes can contact Gemma Swindlehurst at IN4 Group: [email protected]