A well-established training provider has entered a new phase of growth and expansion after securing a £70,000 micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales, enabling the business to expand with a second site.
Heads of the Valleys Training offers transport, industrial and safety training for lorries, forklifts and other machines at its centre in Gilwern, Abergavenny. Established in 1969, the business was acquired by Paul and Alexandra Dunstall in 2002, with their son Ollie joining the business in 2013.
The Gilwern site provides HGV, plant machinery, industrial and safety training to a wide client base, including in the logistics and construction industries. Due to increased demand in recent years, the business had started to outgrow its existing premises, and needed more space to offer multiple types of training at the same time.
It has now taken on the lease for a site at the Pen y Fan Industrial Estate in Crumlin, Caerphilly, supported by a £70,000 micro loan from the Wales Flexible Investment Fund. The expansion will allow Heads of the Valleys Training to offer more safety and industrial training courses with a bespoke indoor training centre, whilst keeping their HGV and driver training operations from their centre in Abergavenny.
Owner Ollie Dunstall said:
“The training we offer is hugely varied, and as we’ve taken on more accreditation then we’ve been able to provide more types of training over the years. That’s been fantastic for our business, but it’s also meant that the capacity we’ve got at the training centre near Abergavenny has got tighter.
“Taking on this new site at Caerphilly frees us up in terms of capacity. Having a bigger space in Caerphilly means we can offer additional safety courses such as forklift, machinery and safety training, while maintaining our driver training courses in Gilwern.”
He added:
“The loan from the Development Bank of Wales meant we could have more control over how we grow as a business, and it gave us the space we needed to plan for our future.”
Chris Stork, Investment Executive at the Development Bank of Wales, said:
“This investment is a great example of how we can support established businesses with funding that supports growth. Expanding to the Caerphilly site was a natural next step for Heads of the Valleys Training, and we’re pleased that we were able to support them with the strategic investment they needed to grow.”
The Development Bank offers micro loans from £1,000 to £100,000 to support business growth, with fixed interest rates for the duration of a loan, flexible terms and fast-track applications available.
For more information, visit https://developmentbank.wales/micro-loans-wales
