KER Training win LCL Awards Community Engagement Award for their Pathways Programme
14 Aug 2025
Elaine and Frankie Reilly are the husband-and-wife team behind KER Training, which is an LCL Approved training centre, situated between Edinburgh and Glasgow in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire. The centre recently won our Community Engagement Award for a programme that helps get disillusioned youngsters back on track.
Our panel of judges were very impressed with the scheme, and praised KER Training for:
“Their initiative in picking up youngsters disengaged from school learning, in order to give them new meaning and purpose.”
LCL Awards’ Business Development Manager, Reuben Davison, visited the centre recently and was interested to hear more about the project which has been developed to support a scheme set up by KER Training’s local council. He spoke with Elaine.
RD: Can you explain to me how the scheme works?
ER: For the past four years KER Training has been involved in the Pathways Programme run by North Lanarkshire Council. The Programme is designed for School Leavers who have 'disengaged' from School and is offered to fifteen-year-olds in their fourth year of high school.
The school, Council, local colleges, and providers like us work in partnership to give the young people the opportunity to try different trades. The idea being that when they leave school at sixteen, they’ve got a better understanding of the building services sector and the apprenticeships they could take. The Pathways co-ordinators arrange for the young people to attend our centre one day per week during term time for around sixteen weeks.
RD: And what do you provide at KER Training?
ER: We start by giving them a basic understanding of plumbing, gas, renewables, and electricals. Each day consists of a session of theory and then practical exercise relating to the topic being covered.
The young people love the practical sessions as these are ‘hands on’ in our training centre and we find that they thrive on the experience. Over the weeks you see a great change in them as their confidence grows.
Part of what we cover are general life-skills. They learn to measure accurately, for example working in millimetres rather than centimetres, to prepare them for a life in the trades. We teach them to identify tools and then how to use them safely. Not many schools cover these basics anymore, so it’s a great opportunity for them to learn.
Some of them have not enjoyed their school experience and their confidence can be low. We find that they enjoy learning skills that will be useful in later life, in a non-school environment. They begin to realise that if you’re prepared to work hard, you can gain the know-how to progress. It’s wonderful to see them blossom.
Once the basics have been covered, as a final project, each student makes a bottle light, which combines all the skills they have mastered. They cut and prime a wooden base before cutting and soldering copper pipe to hold their bottle. Then there is the task that no one enjoys - ‘feeding’ the string lights into their bottle before finally checking and admiring the end-product. They take this bottle light home with them – a reminder of just what they’ve achieved in their time with us.
RD: What do the students get on completion of the course?
ER: As well as the satisfaction of learning new skills, they are presented with a certificate of training which is great for their CV. They can then go on to apply for jobs or apprenticeships, with the help of their Pathways mentor if they need it.
Apprenticeships are few and far between in Scotland, so anything that can give them the edge is valuable. We’re proud to be able to give these young people a chance to prove what they can do and play our part in helping fill the skills-gap. It’s lovely when we hear of their success stories. Several have secured employment or been accepted on college courses on completion of the scheme. We recently received an email from a young man who had attended the programme two years ago. He wanted to tell us how his time at the centre helped him and gave him the confidence move on with his future career.
RD: How does your centre promote sustainability and social responsibility through its community engagement?
ER: At Ker Training we are committed to embedding sustainability and social responsibility in every aspect of learning. We believe that education is a powerful driver of change, and we actively promote environmental awareness and social values through our training and our engagement with the Pathways Programme and the Local Community.
A key initiative has been the integration of sustainable practices in our training programmes. We deliver dedicated courses on energy efficiency, renewable technologies, and environmentally responsible installation practices. The young people and our learners leave here not only equipped with good technical skills but a deep understanding of the environmental impact of their work.
In terms of social responsibility, aside from the Pathways Programme, we regularly work alongside our local MSP Councillor who seeks our help in projects that aim to foster positive change in the area for long-term good.
RD: What impact has your centre’s community engagement had?
ER: The feedback we get from co-ordinators working with people on the Pathways Programme is very positive with many saying that 'it's so much better than school'.
This is demonstrated by the fact that the learners turn up every week, are well behaved and committed to the work we are doing with them. It's great to see them develop from the first week, when they’re a bit shy and unsure. We witness them growing in confidence - speaking up in class and engaging with their fellow students.
Frankie and I believe in giving people a great start in life and often say to our trainees that becoming a gas engineer gives you a ‘golden ticket.’ It opens so many avenues. The opportunity to expand upon a basic domestic gas qualification means you can progress into commercial gas, renewables and refrigeration, air source heat pumps and F-Gas - even into Oil and LPG – the world is your oyster really!
Sadly, Frankie and Elaine were unable to attend our recent awards event at the Hilton at the NEC (Birmingham), due to family commitments, but Neill Ovenden was able to present the award on his recent trip to Scotland and, as you can see, everyone there was very happy to receive the trophy!
If you’d like to hear more about the work that Ker Training does, please click here.
Pictured left to right: Iain Murdoch, Elaine Reilly, Frankie Reilly and LCL Awards' Operations Director Neill Ovenden
Elaine and Frankie Reilly are the husband-and-wife team behind KER Training, which is an LCL Approved training centre, situated between Edinburgh and Glasgow in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire. The centre recently won our Community Engagement Award for a programme that helps get disillusioned youngsters back on track.
Our panel of judges were very impressed with the scheme, and praised KER Training for:
“Their initiative in picking up youngsters disengaged from school learning, in order to give them new meaning and purpose.”
LCL Awards’ Business Development Manager, Reuben Davison, visited the centre recently and was interested to hear more about the project which has been developed to support a scheme set up by KER Training’s local council. He spoke with Elaine.
RD: Can you explain to me how the scheme works?
ER: For the past four years KER Training has been involved in the Pathways Programme run by North Lanarkshire Council. The Programme is designed for School Leavers who have 'disengaged' from School and is offered to fifteen-year-olds in their fourth year of high school.
The school, Council, local colleges, and providers like us work in partnership to give the young people the opportunity to try different trades. The idea being that when they leave school at sixteen, they’ve got a better understanding of the building services sector and the apprenticeships they could take. The Pathways co-ordinators arrange for the young people to attend our centre one day per week during term time for around sixteen weeks.
RD: And what do you provide at KER Training?
ER: We start by giving them a basic understanding of plumbing, gas, renewables, and electricals. Each day consists of a session of theory and then practical exercise relating to the topic being covered.
The young people love the practical sessions as these are ‘hands on’ in our training centre and we find that they thrive on the experience. Over the weeks you see a great change in them as their confidence grows.
Part of what we cover are general life-skills. They learn to measure accurately, for example working in millimetres rather than centimetres, to prepare them for a life in the trades. We teach them to identify tools and then how to use them safely. Not many schools cover these basics anymore, so it’s a great opportunity for them to learn.
Some of them have not enjoyed their school experience and their confidence can be low. We find that they enjoy learning skills that will be useful in later life, in a non-school environment. They begin to realise that if you’re prepared to work hard, you can gain the know-how to progress. It’s wonderful to see them blossom.
Once the basics have been covered, as a final project, each student makes a bottle light, which combines all the skills they have mastered. They cut and prime a wooden base before cutting and soldering copper pipe to hold their bottle. Then there is the task that no one enjoys - ‘feeding’ the string lights into their bottle before finally checking and admiring the end-product. They take this bottle light home with them – a reminder of just what they’ve achieved in their time with us.
RD: What do the students get on completion of the course?
ER: As well as the satisfaction of learning new skills, they are presented with a certificate of training which is great for their CV. They can then go on to apply for jobs or apprenticeships, with the help of their Pathways mentor if they need it.
Apprenticeships are few and far between in Scotland, so anything that can give them the edge is valuable. We’re proud to be able to give these young people a chance to prove what they can do and play our part in helping fill the skills-gap. It’s lovely when we hear of their success stories. Several have secured employment or been accepted on college courses on completion of the scheme. We recently received an email from a young man who had attended the programme two years ago. He wanted to tell us how his time at the centre helped him and gave him the confidence move on with his future career.
RD: How does your centre promote sustainability and social responsibility through its community engagement?
ER: At Ker Training we are committed to embedding sustainability and social responsibility in every aspect of learning. We believe that education is a powerful driver of change, and we actively promote environmental awareness and social values through our training and our engagement with the Pathways Programme and the Local Community.
A key initiative has been the integration of sustainable practices in our training programmes. We deliver dedicated courses on energy efficiency, renewable technologies, and environmentally responsible installation practices. The young people and our learners leave here not only equipped with good technical skills but a deep understanding of the environmental impact of their work.
In terms of social responsibility, aside from the Pathways Programme, we regularly work alongside our local MSP Councillor who seeks our help in projects that aim to foster positive change in the area for long-term good.
RD: What impact has your centre’s community engagement had?
ER: The feedback we get from co-ordinators working with people on the Pathways Programme is very positive with many saying that 'it's so much better than school'.
This is demonstrated by the fact that the learners turn up every week, are well behaved and committed to the work we are doing with them. It's great to see them develop from the first week, when they’re a bit shy and unsure. We witness them growing in confidence - speaking up in class and engaging with their fellow students.
Frankie and I believe in giving people a great start in life and often say to our trainees that becoming a gas engineer gives you a ‘golden ticket.’ It opens so many avenues. The opportunity to expand upon a basic domestic gas qualification means you can progress into commercial gas, renewables and refrigeration, air source heat pumps and F-Gas - even into Oil and LPG – the world is your oyster really!
Sadly, Frankie and Elaine were unable to attend our recent awards event at the Hilton at the NEC (Birmingham), due to family commitments, but Neill Ovenden was able to present the award on his recent trip to Scotland and, as you can see, everyone there was very happy to receive the trophy!
If you’d like to hear more about the work that Ker Training does, please click here.
Pictured left to right: Iain Murdoch, Elaine Reilly, Frankie Reilly and LCL Awards' Operations Director Neill Ovenden