Pronto Plumber

David Lambert’s career began with an apprenticeship at Bedford College and has led to him owning his own business, Pronto Plumber, where he employs five people who all take part in training at Bedford College, from NVQs in plumbing to business administration and health and safety.

Pronto Plumber aims to do exactly what the name says – provide a fast and efficient service.   With residential and commercial customers in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, they deliver plumbing, heating, gas maintenance and building services to a high professional standard.

David has recently completed NVQ Level 3 in Business Management, where an assessor from Bedford College visited him at his business in Great Barford as part of the training.

David explained:

“The Business Management training package meant working through modules.  The assessor Laura was really helpful and was able to relate the training modules directly to work I was doing.  That made it much more relevant.”

“My background is in plumbing and the new skills I have learnt have complemented that so that I can continue to develop the business and move it forwards.”

“I started my plumbing career at Bedford College as an apprentice working for P Chester & Son, where I learnt traditional values that I use in my own business today.  Training is an important factor - valuable for the individuals and the business.”

“I set myself and others high standards for how we deliver our service and well trained staff is part of that.  I plan to complete an ITQ course at Bedford College in the autumn to improve my IT skills and staff will be working through NVQ Levels 2/3 in plumbing and business administration.   This is all part of the continual development for everyone who works at Pronto Plumber.”

“Big business values training and development and that is a good example for smaller businesses who want to succeed in a competitive market.”

Training undertaken

Five staff have completed training over the last thirteen years on courses including:

• NVQ Levels 2 and 3 in Plumbing.
• Business Management
• Business Administration
• Occupational Health & Safety
• First Aid
• ITQ

What were your training objectives?

“It is important for apprentices to undertake NVQ training so that they can gain industry standard qualifications.  They also benefit from learning aspects of the trade at College that they are unable to learn on site.  Day release to College and working on site is a perfect learning ground for apprentices.”

“My aim is to develop staff so that they have professional qualifications and knowledge in their areas of work.  For instance, we have recently completed health and safety training and first aid – that is something that affects us all whether we are working in plumbing, book keeping or administration.”

“We all need to continually extend our skills to keep ourselves and the business ahead of the game.”

Were they achieved?

“Yes - staff over 13 years have achieved success with Bedford College and that has had a positive impact on the business.”

“Bedford College has made a huge investment in the new Plumbing Centre, with excellent facilities, partnerships with heating and plumbing organisations and are at the forefront of the renewables market.”

“The advice I have received from Bedford College on funding has been invaluable and I have been impressed with new areas such as renewable energy, including air source heat pumps and rainwater harvesting.  In fact my own home includes a rainwater harvesting system and solar panels.”

What has been the impact on your performance?

“The business is strengthened by the skills and knowledge of its employees – excellent staff means excellent results.”

What has been the impact on the organisation’s performance?

“With training, employees have a better understanding of the requirements of the job.  It allows them to develop as individuals, work as part of a team and be more involved.”

“We have recently completed training in occupational health and safety and first aid – for a company of our size that it is quite unusual but shows the commitment I have to training.”

“I would recommend other businesses to use Bedford College for their training needs so that they can get the best out of their staff and their business.”