MORE than 1,000 items from an engineering apprenticeship and skills training provider have gone up for auction.

The trading assets of Kirkdale Industrial Training Services Ltd (KITS) are up for sale, after the training business decided it was unviable to reopen.

The Brighouse-based firm had gone into pause at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, alongside all other educational and training establishments.

But after an internal review during this period it decided to close for good due to the extremely difficult trading environment.

The auction began yesterday.

Walker Singleton’s Chartered Surveyors was appointed to apply their industrial auctioneering expertise to the sale of all the operational assets of the facility.

It includes state-of-the-art engineering and vehicle workshop machinery, which has been lightly-used, as well as conference and classroom equipment.

Bidders can even get their hands on a forklift.

KITS was opened in 1991 to provide an outstanding centre of excellence in support of Yorkshire’s market-leading engineering heritage.

Priding itself, and the industries it served, on having a state-of-the-art training facility and services, KITS has invested millions to stay at the cutting edge.

Howard Eastwood, Director at Walker Singleton said “As befits a training business established by some of the leading engineering companies in the region the asset base reflects the shared high standards.

"Achieving and maintaining these standards demands high financial commitments and KITS has not shied away from providing apprentices and clients with access to the best available equipment.

"It is clear asset upgrade programs were constantly applied which, when aligned to the niche utilisation, leaves almost all the equipment having had only light use alongside the high levels of maintenance and safety.

“There are over 1,000 lots in the auction covering asset classes from conference and classroom equipment, through general industry and training assets, to state-of-the-art engineering and vehicle workshop plant.

"Demand for premium assets remains high evidenced by recent auctions we have undertaken in synergy industries and we fully expect strong and competing interest will ensue through the auction process.”  

Bidding for the auction closes on Thursday, August 20.

You can find out more at: walkersingleton.co.uk/machinery-business-asset/engineering-fabrication-vehicle-maintenance-conference-site-support-assets/