Private equity investor LDC has invested £30 million in the management buy-out of vocational education provider JHP Group.

Private equity investor LDC has invested £30 million in the management buy-out (MBO) of vocational education provider JHP Group.

Led by CEO Jim Chambers, the MBO sees LDC acquiring a ‘significant majority stake’ in the Coventry-based company, which has 57 service centres across the UK.

Yorkshire Bank provided £26 million of senior debt to fund the deal, which will enable the company to take advantage of acquisition opportunities in the skills and training services sector.

Says Chambers, ‘We have delivered significant growth over the past few years as a result of increased commitment in the public and private sectors to tackling employment issues and skills gaps in the UK economy.’

JHP has 3,000 clients including the Ministry of Defence, RBS Insurance and Barclays.