8 January 2009

Thriving Health and Safety Business for County Durham’s Kevin

At the age of 47, Kevin James from Wheatley Hill, County Durham, found himself unemployed and felt that his age was a barrier to him moving into work.  Now, four years later, Kevin runs his own successful company, East Coast Safety Training.

Kevin’s career started at the age of 15 after he left school with no qualifications and went straight to work as a miner in Easington Colliery.  Kevin, now 51, remained there for the next 20 years where he moved up the ranks to middle management as an Underground Official. 

After leaving his job at the mine, Kevin continued to gain health and safety experience working for Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue and other major employers. 

Kevin said: “When I found myself unemployed and struggling to get a job, I decided to make the most of my time and completed my NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) qualification.  I also turned to Acumen Development Trust for support.

“Acumen Business Coaching and East Durham Business Service helped me to structure my business and taught me the fundamentals.  They helped me to lay the foundation stones for my business.  Starting a business can be daunting and at first, it feels like you are in limbo, so I recommend that you take any support that is on offer.”

Now approaching his fourth year of trading, Kevin’s business is going from strength to strength, in addition to completing his Certificate in Education, Kevin has contracts with some of the major employers in the North East and finds that all of his work is generated through referrals from happy customers.

“I love running my own business, it plays a major part in my life and I am really proud of how far I have come.

“Not only do I offer my customers bespoke training, but once the training has been delivered, I continue to offer ongoing support at no extra charge, that’s why I believe customers are happy to refer to East Coast Safety Training.”

For more information about East Coast Safety Training visit www.eastcoastsafetytraining.co.uk.