A YORK training provider is predicting its growth will treble over the next 12 months after winning a three-year contract in Bahrain.

Chapel House Training and Consultancy, based in Tadcaster, is entering the Dare to Export Award in recognition of its work providing programmes, projects and packages across the globe.

Chapel House initially joined a UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) mission to the Gulf in 2010.

Simon Bedford, the group’s overseas trade advisor, together with Amanda Selvaratnam, head of Corporate Training at the University of York and Director of The Training Gateway, led many of the subsequent trade missions that Chapel House joined, resulting in the business developing partnerships with organisations, educational establishments and other bodies across the globe.

Chapel House has now become an overseas trade mentor in its own right, working with many organisations who have overseas trade ambitions and providing conference and workshop presentations.

The growth in the business has enabled Chapel House to take on two further full-time members of staff plus a course administrator and business development consultant.

Growth is now projected to treble in the next year after recently winning a three-year contract with the government-sponsored organisation, Tamkeen, in Bahrain to deliver soft skill training to the local community to help develop their careers and businesses.

Chapel House operations manager Bonny Snowdon said: "Chapel House is now a well-known and respected training provider in many parts of the world due mainly to the long-term investment that has been made in building sustainable and ethical relationships overseas.

"Working overseas has not been without its difficulties. Ethical relationships have needed to be built and sustained and there are no quick wins.

"An overseas sales strategy requires considerable investment, cultural sensitivity and regular and active communications.

"Everyone at Chapel House is passionate about promoting Yorkshire, the North and the UK across the world and sees the attraction of this locality as a favoured location in terms of a place to bring delegates back to study."