As of 18th November 2022 we are celebrating 20 years of history here at SP Training! We are so proud of where we have come and all we have accomplished over the years!

The Early Days

2002

System People Limited started life as System Recruitment Limited on 18^th November 2002. This was following System Training offering driver recruitment during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001. This offer was significant and as such became its own limited company. Initially our main aim was focused on supplying temporary and permanent drivers to the haulage industry.

2003

The range of services was expanded by also offering cleaning services and eventually cleaning training and qualifications. Further expansion of services in 2003 saw supply of labour into factories.

2005

The supply of staff cleaners had become a part of the expanding offer!

2006

In 2006, health and safety and management training courses were offered along with recruitment of permanent and temporary managers to local businesses.

2007

System Group Limited was sold to Bibby Distribution Limited and System People, then still known as System Recruitment Limited, became a stand-alone business.

Finding our New Niche!

2008 – 2009

In 2008, the business was further expanded with the appointment of a Managing Director and a Non-Executive Director, with a Finance Director being appointed in 2009. Specialist management training to schools was developed as a strong offer.

2010

In 2010 the business took the decision to curtail the cleaning services offer and over the next year that was wound down and finished so that we could focus on teaching supply and training.

2012

After 5 years of working with Bibby Line Group, Robin Brown & Tony Higgins left System Group and returned to the business part time initially to bring drive and innovation. On 5^th August the business name was changed to reflect the current activity of the business to System People Limited as our one stop shop for ‘people services’.

Moving into the last decade!

2013

In 2013 Rebecca Bird joined System People as a Director and set about developing the business, laying some of the foundations for activities we are engaged in today. The decision was taken to curtail the cleaning services and industrial recruitment offer, and over the next year that was phased out.

 Lyndsey Fitheridge, our now Commercial Director, also joined us in 2013 as Commercial Manager to develop System People Education and System People Professional Services. These divisions provided teaching and TA supply staff to schools and professional recruitment solutions to local businesses.

After 6 years, we decided to focus purely on the Education sector. The division now supports 3 full time staff and is a thriving education supply business servicing 100’s of schools and supply staff across the county and is in the 9^th year of operation.

2014

Training and NVQs were first delivered in Cleaning, Logistics, First Aid and English & Maths. At this point, System People quickly became the largest provider on the Edge project! We also gained our first government funding allocations for training and contracts with Cumbria County Council.

2015

In 2015, SP Training, the logistics trading arm of the business, was formed and we started developing logistics training services. Initially classroom-based training in Management CPC, Driver CPC and ADR were delivered with the view that practical driver training would follow.

The Carlisle Airport site was also acquired this year, and this was followed by an increase in logistics training courses leading up to the current offering today.

2016

We started delivery apprenticeships in LGV driving and warehousing as a subcontractor. We were then successful in gaining our own government funding contracts, enabling us to engage large national clients – Asda being the first of many! Our expertise allowed us to support our national clients to access their apprenticeship levy and develop bespoke driving academies to be proud of.

2018

In 2018 our offer to the school clients extended to include apprentice Teaching Assistants, Early Years Practitioners and Business Administration staff. This is now a thriving apprenticeship division, offering up to 160 local apprenticeships across these areas in the North and West of the county.

2020 – 2022

During Covid and subsequent lockdowns the business diversified and supported local school clients by developing a Covid Testing recruitment service so that schools could ensure all returning staff and pupils were tested for a safe return.

Now in 2022 we have a staff of 63 employees working across our three main businesses – SP Training, System People Teaching Supply and System People Apprenticeships, all under the System People Ltd umbrella.

We are now one of the largest logistics apprenticeship providers and work with a number of national clients – including Asda, Co-Op, DPD and more – as well as continuing to service more local businesses with all their logistics training needs. Our training services have continued to expand, offering dozens of different courses for individuals and businesses, as well as the Driver CPC Consortium to help businesses meet the challenges in the sector.

Over the last year, we have become a National Skills LGV Bootcamp training provider. This government scheme, launched in 2021, delivers licence acquisition to the general public and companies to ease the driver shortage in the UK.

We are so proud of our successes over the last 20 years, and we look forward to the challenges and successes that the next 20 will bring!