Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) has created an onsite purpose-built training room for colleagues to learn new skills in a practical environment and stay up-to-date with newer fixtures and fittings.
The training facility enables NPH staff to provide a high quality, time and cost-efficient service to their tenants. Staff from across the organisation are making use of the space, including new trades recruits, apprentices and established staff.
The facility has a number of different training areas built in situ including doors, so staff can practice fitting and lock replacement, a kitchen sink to practice fitting new taps, windows of various types and a wall of live electrical devices to practice safe installation.
Billy Dexter, Senior Trade Operative, came up with the original idea supported by Carl Chambers ,Electrical Qualifying Supervisor, and Steve Kennedy, Senior Trade Operative.
They could see that many of the household components (such as door mechanisms and plumbing) used across NPH properties were changing.
They built the training room in an under-used storage facility on site, to ensure NPH trade colleagues felt confident and ready to work with the new components before heading out to residents’ homes.
Since opening, Billy noted how it has quickly become an important resource: “It allows operatives to try out a new trade, helping to broaden their experience, upskill them for the future and support their personal development within the business.
“We have some extremely talented tradespeople, and this area was created so we can all share knowledge, skills and best practice with one another.”
From the initial notion of upskilling inhouse trade operatives, the scope has been expanded into a space where the wider team can practice a variety of skills in a safe, controlled environment; mistakes can be made, lessons can be learned and standards can continue to improve under the watchful eye of experienced tradespeople.
The team delivered the project in consultation with NPH’s Head of Health and Safety, Mark Poole, whilst researching what equipment and installations would best support practical, real-world learning.
Billy explained that balancing the project build alongside meeting tenant’s day to day needs was tough: “Time was the biggest challenge.
“Everyone involved already has busy roles, and our tenants always come first, which meant much of the building work had to be completed outside normal working hours.”
Billy was committed to the schedule and carried out a large portion of the work in his personal time, during evenings and weekends, to ensure the project stayed on track.
Winston Williams, the Director of Property and Deputy CEO at NPH, was happy to champion the project: “I’m incredibly proud to support the creation of this training room, developed with outstanding dedication and expertise by our own staff.
“It reflects our commitment to investing in their skills, confidence and professional growth, ensuring they are equipped to deliver the highest standards of service to NPH tenants, safely and efficiently.”
Billy is appreciative of all the help he was given: “It’s been a real team effort from start to finish, with colleagues from across the organisation bringing their skills, ideas, and enthusiasm, enthusiastically backed by Managers and Directors.
“The Communications Team also produced a short video which explains how colleagues can make use of the new Training Centre straight away.”
This is only the beginning. The team is already exploring ways to enhance and expand the training room, ensuring it keeps pace with the changing needs of their properties and grows into a central hub for learning, innovation, and cross‑team collaboration. This aligns with the NPH objective to provide homes that are safe, sustainable and high quality.
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