At the same time as when man was taking his first steps on the moon, a group of engineering employers came together to found Avon Vale Training. It was established in 1969 with the encouragement of the Engineering Industry Training Board (EITB), to provide a “Group Training Scheme” to look after engineering apprentices in local companies.

There were 8 founder (Member) companies including Ushers Brewery (then Watney Mann), Altus Engineering (Corsham), Horstman Defence Systems (Bath) and Rotork Actuation (Bath). These Members paid an annual subscription for Avon Vale to guide their apprentices.

The inspirational leadership of a Mr N. Wiltshire, (Savage Electronics Ltd), was central to Avon Vale’s creation, and he provided office accommodation for the fledging company at a nominal rent. During the ‘70s the company moved to a modest a portable building on the campus of what was then Trowbridge College. At that time there were three members of staff, a manager, an engineering training recruitment officer and part time secretary.

In the 1980s the engineering sector changed fast. A deep recession at the start of the decade, was followed by a rapid development in computer led innovation and new technologies. Avon Vale’s Governing Board, led by far sighted consulting engineer Dennis Watts, realised the potential for Avon Vale to meet these changes. Avon Vale Training became a Limited company in 1983, and two years later moved to rented offices in the centre of Trowbridge. It expanded its range of engineering training, and also diversified into Management, Personnel, and Health and Safety (H&S) training. In ‘83 Ian Robinson joined company later becoming its Chief Executive, he oversaw a period of significant growth before leaving in 2002.

As the decade closed, the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) (which itself replaced the EITB), was replaced by the Training Enterprise Council (TEC). This government body administered the Youth Opportunity (YOP) scheme, and later the Youth Training Scheme (YTS), under which Avon Vale continued to provide engineering apprenticeships.

Avon Vale employed about 20 people as its business training and H&S consultancy took off. In 1990 Avon Vale created a separate brand known as AVT (Audio Visual Training), to offer Administration Apprenticeships & general business skills. It later changed its name to Pitman Training Centre in 1995 and this continued until 2000.

The company took over some smaller engineering training providers during the early 1990s, taking over Swindon Training Services in 1990, and the Poole, Bournemouth and Wessex Group in 1993. In 1992 Steve Gale joins initially as a Training Co-ordinator before becoming General Manager in 2007.

The 1990s saw the company expand out of Wiltshire to become the leading provider of engineering training in the South West. In 1993 Avon Vale won a major H&S contract to assess the H&S standards of all Gloucestershire companies offering apprenticeships or work experience to young people, this continued until 1998. In 1995 the company achieved its first nationally recognised standard with ISO 9000 accreditation.

In 1998 Gloucestershire TEC asked Avon Vale to take over the training of all the “Link Group’s” engineering apprentices. This was a significant expansion of another 100 apprentices, including big employers like Spirax Sarco, Kohler Mira and Messier Dowty. Avon Vale becomes a regional provider.

1998 was also Avon Vale’s first government inspection by the Training Standards Council. It went extremely well with grade “1” across the board. The company was recognised as one of the “best training providers in the country” with outstanding achievement rates.

The Learning & Skills Council (LSC) takes over from the TECs in 2001, and Avon Vale continues to grow. The company is asked to look after the LSC contracts for BEMA Training. Avon Vale Training Ltd became a subsidiary company of Wiltshire College on 1st April 2002, and Steve Gale takes over leadership first as Operations Manager in 2002, and then as General Manager in 2007. The number of apprentices it looks after rises to over 300 per year, spread over Wiltshire, Swindon, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Bristol & Avon.

In 2002 AVT received ‘Pathfinder’ Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) status, the only work-based training provider to achieve this status in the South of England. CoVE brought substantial government funding and transformed the business. The company moved to a new Training Centre in Chippenham with IT suite and mobile training vehicle able to deliver peripatetic training.

The company continues to break records at the EEF Awards. Twenty Avon Vale apprentices were finalists in both 2003 and 2004, and the next year Martin Broady (Messier Dowty Ltd) is named the overall best engineering apprentice in the South West. Amongst the numerous awards Avon Vales’ apprentices and companies win for training success, include Avon Vale’s Rob Aldous as Trainer of the Year 2006 at the Wiltshire Skills Awards.

In 2005 the company is reorganised to concentrate solely on engineering and manufacturing training as the H&S Division is transferred to Wiltshire College. In 2006 Avon Vale trains its 2,000th apprentice. Financially the company is very strong with excellent resources and a strong team.

In 2007 the national programme of Train to Gain is launched to support industry training. Avon Vale extends its operational area into the parts of the South East, namely the Thames Valley, Oxfordshire and down into Hampshire. Apprenticeships remain the heart of the business, but hundreds of adult employees are also trained in NVQs like Business Improvement Techniques (BIT).

Avon Vale’s place as a leading training provider is further recognised in 2008 as the company achieves both the Matrix quality standard, and the successor to CoVE - the new Training Quality Standard (TQS), awarded with excellence in Engineering. Avon Vale launched its online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to support apprentice learning during Easter 2009. Achievement rates remain very strong and the company continues to grow despite the economic slowdown.

In August 2009 Avon Vale was dissolved as a separate limited company and became an operating division directly within the Employer Responsive Team of Wiltshire College. The decision to merge was taken by the Board because it was deemed to be in the best long term interests of employers.

Avon Vale was brought closer to the college because of its strong and continuing success. Avon Vale is spreading its expertise in serving local industry across other college operations. Also employers now benefit from a more complete offer of services and training from all the areas of the college. The backing of Wiltshire College strengthens Avon Vale’s commitment to raise standards and support industry.