NC Group are an Ofsted Outstanding training provider, developing engineering, manufacturing and leadership talent for businesses across England. Pulse acts as its full finance function, handling bookkeeping, payroll, VAT and management accounts week in, week out. Beyond the numbers, we have supported a group restructure, the purchase of its premises, funding tenders and new systems that help its team work more efficiently.
Who are NC Group?
NC Group delivers apprenticeships, workforce development, and recruitment and induction programmes, built around the real needs of employers. Its Ofsted Outstanding training helps businesses close skills gaps, stay compliant and grow their people.
Headquartered in Newton Aycliffe, just like Pulse, NC Group now runs academies and training hubs across England, from Middlesbrough to Nottingham, Coventry, Birmingham and Luton. It is trusted by leading engineering and manufacturing businesses, and its work extends to armed forces retraining and offender training too.
It is a business that invests in people. That made it a natural fit for a finance partner that wants to invest in the business behind them.
What does a full finance function look like for NC Group?
For NC Group, Pulse is not a once a year accountant. We sit inside the rhythm of the business, so its leadership team can focus on delivering training rather than chasing numbers.
- Weekly bookkeeping, keeping the records current and decision ready
- Payroll, with salaries and supplier payments handled on a fortnightly cycle
- VAT and full accounting compliance
- Management accounts that give the directors a clear view of performance
- Regular catch ups, plus quick answers to tax and finance questions whenever they come up
The result is a finance function NC Group can rely on, without the cost of building one in house.
How has Pulse supported NC Group's growth?
As NC Group has grown, the questions have moved beyond compliance. That is where our business advisory work comes in.
A group restructure. We helped NC Group restructure into a group, separating its assets from the trading business across different companies. The aim was protection and risk mitigation, so what the business has built is better safeguarded as it grows. Getting the structure right also opened the door to the next step.
Buying its premises. We gave significant support as NC Group moved to purchase the premises it operates from, helping it prepare the financial information and meet the requirements needed to complete the purchase.
Funding tenders. Training providers often work with further education partners for funding. We have helped NC Group draft tenders for that funding, making sure the financial side of each bid is clear and robust.
Each of these is a decision with long term consequences. Having an adviser who already knows the numbers inside out makes them faster and safer to take.
How has technology made NC Group more efficient?
Good finance is as much about systems as it is about numbers. Through our tech advisory approach, we looked at where time was being lost and put better tools in place.
- Wise now handles payroll and supplier payments, making regular payment runs quicker and easier to control
- A bespoke purchase ordering system gives NC Group's internal team a clear, consistent way to raise and approve spending
- Staff training from the Pulse team, whenever and wherever it is needed, so new processes actually stick
The systems matter, but so does making sure the people using them feel confident.
What makes this partnership different?
The relationship works both ways. The Pulse team have taken part in a leadership bootcamp delivered by NC Group, designed specifically for us by senior leaders from both businesses.
It is a genuine corporate partnership. We help NC Group build a stronger business, and NC Group helps us build stronger leaders. For two Newton Aycliffe businesses that both believe in investing in people, it feels like exactly the right fit.
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