Professional education “global leader” BPP Education Group has acquired pharmacy training provider Buttercups Training, it has announced.
Last week (April 18), the group told C+D that the deal will allow Buttercups Training to “fast-track [its] growth trajectory” and expand “its offering to serve the growing demands of front-line pharmacy staff”.
The “leading training provider for undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare and nursing programmes” added that its acquisition of the pharmacy training company will “facilitate BPP’s focus on delivering a broader portfolio of programmes” to its customers.
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Established in 1988 and based in Nottingham, Buttercups Training is the “number one training provider for the UK’s largest pharmacy groups”, BPP said.
It delivers training programmes to “pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and support staff working in hospitals, community pharmacy and primary care,” it added.
BPP Education Group provides education and training in law, business, finance, accountancy, banking and technology, as well as healthcare, nursing and now pharmacy, it said.
“Beacon of excellence”
BPP’s chief executive Graham Gaddes said that Buttercups Training’s “highly experienced team…are a great cultural fit” for the education group.
“There is an unprecedented demand for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the UK and this shortfall is set to continue to increase,” he added.
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“The acquisition of Buttercups will allow us to support their growth plans and through exceptional training programmes, focus on bridging the skills gap in the healthcare sector,” Gaddes said.
Buttercups Training founder Vanessa Kingsbury added that reflecting on her company’s journey “from its inception in 1988 to where we stand today fills [her] with pride and gratitude”.
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“From a small initiative, Buttercups has evolved into a beacon of excellence in the industry, impacting not just our learners, but the pharmacy sectors where they work,” she said.
Kingsbury added that she looks “to the future under the new stewardship of BPP Education Group with optimism and excitement”.
In 2008, Rowland’s parent company Phoenix took a minority stake in Buttercups Training to help fund investment in the company's IT-based training programmes.
