Performance Through People

Performance Through People: apprenticeships and training rooted in the Chamber movement

Performance Through People (PTP) is an Ofsted-rated apprenticeship and training provider that describes itself as dedicated to driving business growth through apprenticeship and training solutions. Its work is organised around three audiences: people starting or changing careers through apprenticeships, employers looking to upskill staff and recruit apprentices, and unemployed people seeking a route back into work through fully funded programmes.

The organisation presents itself as a specialist in bridging skills gaps, delivering programmes intended to help individuals and businesses adapt to a changing workforce. It states that it works closely with employers to build tailored learning plans aimed at maximising productivity and return on investment, and that it provides guidance on the funding available for training.

From Walsall Chamber Training to the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Group

PTP traces its origins to the late 1960s, when Walsall Chamber of Commerce set up a training arm, Chamber Training, to provide engineering and management training for member businesses. The initiative responded to employers seeking to develop their workforce, improve skills, support recruitment and address the challenges of an ageing workforce.

As demand grew, the activity expanded from Walsall across the Black Country and Staffordshire, reaching employers and individuals in an increasingly diverse range of sectors. PTP Training Ltd was later established as a trading company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Chamber, broadening its offer and geographical reach to employers in Birmingham, the Black Country, Staffordshire and the wider Midlands, alongside an expanding programme of national delivery.

After a period under new ownership between 2020 and 2025, PTP Training returned to its Chamber roots through its acquisition by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Group. The company states that it continues to operate under its established brand, retaining its leadership team, and that being part of a Chamber-led organisation shapes the training it provides.

Programmes for employers

For employers, the offer covers hiring and recruiting apprentices, apprenticeship funding and incentives, and training. The organisation also addresses the New Growth and Skills Levy in its funding guidance. Its stated approach is to design learning plans around the needs of each employer, whether the aim is to upskill an existing team or bring in new talent.

Routes for individuals and unemployed people

For people starting out or changing direction, PTP presents apprenticeships as hands-on experience combined with a recognised qualification, and answers practical questions about what an apprenticeship can lead to, the entry requirements and its duration. It also runs a vacancy search facility connecting candidates with jobs and apprenticeships.

For those out of work, the organisation offers a variety of fully funded programmes with the stated goal of supporting people back into meaningful employment. These include Bootcamps and a Path 2 Apprenticeship programme, and an AI Academy also appears among its training options.

Sectors, news and recognition

The site lists sectors among its apprenticeship areas and publishes news about learner outcomes. Recent items reported a Distinction in a Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship by Emma Walton, who secured promotion to Home Manager, and Distinctions in Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeships for two employees at Hall & Pickles in Wombourne. The company also reported its Long Service Awards 2026, recognising team members who had reached service milestones.

PTP states that its leaders have contributed to boards, committees, networks and strategic partnerships, citing engagement with provider networks and training associations, the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, WorldSkills UK, Department for Education provider panels, Ofsted stakeholder groups, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers regional networks, the West Midlands Combined Authority Mayoral Task Force, local education and skills boards, and Local Skills Improvement Plan working groups.

Two offices in the West Midlands

The company operates from a head office at Ridings House, Ridings Park, Eastern Way, Cannock WS11 7FH, and a second office at Essex Terrace, Intown, Walsall WS1 1SQ.