United Living Group, the provider of infrastructure, affordable housing, property services, and telecoms, has acquired a majority stake in both GTEC Training Limited, a training specialist, and Thormer Solutions Limited, developer of Heatly, a digital tool that makes heat pump system design, surveying and installation easier.
With over 15 years’ experience, GTEC specialises in closing industry skills gaps and providing formal qualifications and retrofit training in the net zero space across the UK and further afield. GTEC’s training courses cover heat pump, solar PV, battery storage, solar thermal, biomass, EV charging and energy efficiency, plus a wide range of bespoke training programmes for larger clients.
In the last four years, GTEC has delivered over £3 million of funded training places through various government schemes, and its work on technical committees is helping to shape national and worldwide industry standards.
The training provider has expanded its range of training courses and its geographic coverage rapidly, from a single site in Hawes, North Yorkshire, to over 19 locations throughout the UK and the Channel Islands.
GTEC will continue to operate as a standalone business delivering training to the wider market and will also support United Living’s group-wide training requirements and those of its customers.
Thormer, a subsidiary of GTEC, has developed a unique integrated software package and app, Heatly, which digitalises, expedites and improves heat pump design and installation accuracy. Combined with a decarbonised energy mix, heat pumps are a key component of the global energy transition. Heatly will revolutionise the process and accelerate implementation.
Neil Armstrong, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Living Group, said: “In line with our commitment to provide high quality, technology-enabled services and to expand our highly skilled workforce, we are pleased to announce the acquisition of a majority stake in GTEC Training and Thormer Solutions.
“This acquisition will help us to address one of the key challenges facing us, our clients and industry as a whole; which is to bridge the skills gap and expand workforce capability and capacity.
“The Heatly app fits perfectly with our strategy to incorporate innovative, leading-edge technology into our service offering in order to help our clients optimise and decarbonise their business operations and assets.
“We look forward to working closely with GTEC Training and the Thormer Solutions team to provide additional tailored skills training on behalf of all our customers and the wider UK economy.”
Griff Thomas, Managing Director of GTEC Training and Thormer Solutions, said: “Joining the United Living Group is the ideal fit for GTEC and we are excited about the opportunities and growth this investment will bring.
“Like us, United Living is committed to promoting and contributing to a sustainable future, and through their support we can bring our industry-leading training to a wider audience, as well as directly supporting United Living’s training needs and those of its customers.
“Heatly is set to be a real game-changer for the heat pump sector, removing some of the barriers to take-up and improving outcomes for installers and their customers. The investment brought by United Living will accelerate our market deployment and make Heatly the go-to digital solution for wide-scale heat pump deployment.
“With Heatly’s cutting-edge building scanning techniques and United Living’s reach into other related sectors, heat pumps are just the beginning.
“This is an exciting stage in GTEC’s history, and we are thrilled to have the backing of such a well-respected organisation.”
