Sandwell Training Association is based in Sandwell in the West Midlands, and was established in 1963 by a number of local manufacturing companies in order to provide specialised training services to its founder companies. These member companies have grown over the years, and the range of training services on offer has developed to keep pace with the changing needs of local industry and commerce. In 1998, Providence Group Services, based in Cradley Heath, was incorporated into the Association, further extending the services that can be offered.

Sandwell Training Association is a thoroughly professional training organisation, maintaining direct contact with over 350 local industrial and commercial companies, operating to the highest standards and offering an increasingly wide variety of training and development services.

In recent years the Association has responded to the need for Government sponsored training programmes for young people and adults and is accredited as an Approved Training Organisation for the delivery of programmes contracted with Black Country Learning and Skills Council (LSC), and provides an extensive range of such programmes including Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships which provide young people with quality training over their first years of employment, and Train to Gain to update the skills and knowledge of those already employed.

In addition to these programmes, the Association offers a wide range of short courses for delivery direct to local businesses covering such diverse topics as Management Development, Health & Safety training, First Aid certification, Language Training, Computer Training and Consultancy, Fork Lift Truck operation and Quality Assurance.

The Association is also able to assist companies with staff recruitment, through the above training programmes.

These services are integrated and delivered to local industry by experienced training officers who provide a valuable consultancy service to companies within the membership structure. They offer advice on a company's training and development needs and assist the company in planning and delivering the identified training needs.

Assistance is also offered in areas of company and employment law and new regulations as necessary.

The Association's direct contact with a large number of local companies allows it to keep fully abreast of the current progress and needs of local industry and commerce and to reflect these needs in the range of training and services offered.

The Association's training facilities are based at two centres at strategic locations within the borough of Sandwell.

The main offices at Grainger House in Cradley Heath offers training and conference facilities, computer suites and the administration and accounts functions of the organisation, a learning centre and the Business Administration, Information Technology and Customer Service training. The Engineering Centre at Phoenix Street in West Bromwich has engineering and welding training facilities.

The Association is recognised as an Investor in People, holds Matrix accreditation, and all the Association's centres and their instructors are approved for the delivery of training through the appropriate lead bodies, including SEMTA, City & Guilds, OCR, ILM, and RTITB.