Investment: £46.5m

Business: Provider of vocational skills training

Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

Turnover: £35m

Transaction date: 27 September

Protocol Skills is a subsidiary of Protocol Group providing apprenticeships and NVQ training to around 15,000 learners per year. It is one of only three national vocational training providers in the highly fragmented 'work-based learning' market in the UK. It has a strong market position in the retail and hospitality sectors which are amongst the highest users of vocational skills training.