Silverfleet invests in Lifetime Training

Silverfleet Capital, the European private equity firm specialised in buy-to-build, has entered into a binding contract to invest alongside the existing management team in the acquisition of Lifetime Training, one of the UK's leading training providers. Completion is subject to regulatory approval and the terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1995, Lifetime Training offers high quality apprenticeship, recruitment services, self-funded training courses and bespoke courses across a range of different sectors to employers of all sizes in the public and private sectors.

By enabling individuals and businesses to perform better through the delivery of market leading training programmes, Lifetime Training has become one of the UK's largest training providers, with a strong presence in the fitness and active leisure, healthcare, hospitality, retail and ‘early years’ sectors. It has developed long-standing relationships with many well-known organisations including Greene King, David Lloyd Leisure, Fitness First, Mitchells & Butlers, Pizza Express, Marstons, Bupa, and a number of NHS trusts. Lifetime Training has won numerous awards both within and across their various sectors and has developed a strong reputation for the quality of its training programmes.

Silverfleet Capital’s investment will enable Lifetime Training to accelerate its organic growth and pursue selected bolt-on acquisitions to expand its service offering to new and existing clients. The introduction of the apprenticeship levy in April 2017, which targets the creation of three million apprenticeships by 2020, will provide significant growth opportunities for Lifetime as a leading provider.

To support its growth strategy, Lifetime Training has appointed Simon Withey as non-Executive Chairman who will work closely with existing CEO Alex Khan. Simon is the former Chief Executive of Survitec and in a career spanning over thirty years, he has held senior positions at organisations including VT Group, Babcock International Group and GEC.

Adrian Yurkwich, Partner at Silverfleet Capital said: “Lifetime Training is a market leader with a strong management team led by Alex Khan and a first class reputation for quality and professionalism. We are excited by the prospect of working with Simon, Alex and the wider management team to take Lifetime Training to the next level.”

Alex Khan, CEO of Lifetime Training added: “As the market continues to evolve there are exciting opportunities ahead for Lifetime Training. With the experience, strategic direction and active support of the Silverfleet Capital team, we look forward to entering a new phase, which will see us growing our proposition and extending our services and the value we offer to our clients.”