Awarding organisation AQA has bought Realise Training – its second expansion into the vocational training sector this year.
The sale of Realise Training, a national apprenticeship and adult skills training provider, will provide “long-term stability” after it went through a management buyout in 2020 by private equity firm Endless (Enact Fund).
Realise will join Construction EPA Company, an apprenticeship end-point assessment organisation which joined AQA’s subsidiary ranks in April, and vocational awarding organisation Training Qualifications UK (TQUK), which it purchased in 2022.
AQA leaders said the Realise acquisition offered “great potential for growth” in light of enhanced focus on skills training in the post-16 white paper.
Sheffield-based Realise Training supports over 18,000 learners a year in apprenticeships nationally and adult skills in the North West and West Midlands.
It offers apprenticeships in sectors including early years, health and social care, business services and transport.
The apprenticeships provider had a total 2023/24 achievement rate of 51.6 per cent from over 3,500 leavers.
Realise was also deemed ‘good’ by Ofsted at its last full inspection in 2023.
The provider also recorded a 31 per cent increase in turnover in 2024 to £28 million and an adjusted EBITDA that more than doubled to £3.85 million.
Last year, it rolled out the delivery of 10 adult learning contracts in three devolved areas – Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands, and other non-devolved areas to “reduce reliance” on apprenticeship revenue.
AQA CEO Colin Hughes said the purchase was a “tremendously exciting development” for the exam board.
He said: “I’m confident that, with our new acquisition, we will be well-placed to enhance our offer to employers and young people in line with our charitable purpose.
“In light of the government’s emphasis on growing vocational education and extending the impact of skills training in the recent post-16 education and skills white paper, this is an area that has great potential for growth.”
AQA said the sale was made for an undisclosed sum. It said that Realise will retain its existing five-strong management team and over 500 staff to “operate as usual”.
Gregg Scott, CEO of Realise Training Group, said the sale will provide a “new, long-term home” for the provider.
He said: “This is fantastic news for our colleagues, the employers we partner with and our learners. We’ve enjoyed fantastic stability and sustainable growth over the last five years and we will be retaining the same principles which have been at the core of our success.
“It also means that all our profits will be re-invested into education for the benefit of many thousands of people in the UK, which aligns with the philosophy of both AQA and ourselves to deliver long-lasting and tangible social value.”
AQA is not the only major awarding organisation to own an independent training provider.
Technical education giant City and Guilds owns training providers Gen2, Intertrain and Trade Skills 4U. City and Guilds, and its training subsidiaries, have been sold in a deal due to complete in the coming days.
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