Context
Northbrook College is the principal provider of work-related further education in the area centred on Worthing, and the largest provider in West Sussex of undergraduate courses for the creative and cultural industries. The college operates across three distinct campuses - the University Centre for Creative Industries at West Durrington, the Aero and Auto Engineering campus at Shoreham Airport, and the Broadwater site - each with its own population of staff, students, and electrical equipment to keep safe and compliant.
Intersafe, part of Complii, has provided PAT testing for Northbrook College since 2013, ensuring all portable appliances across the three campuses remain safe and fully compliant. Over more than a decade, the relationship has been defined by one thing above all else - consistency.
Challenge
Maintaining electrical compliance across a multi-site further education college presents a distinct set of operational demands:
Three campuses, thousands of items, one standard: With portable appliances spread across the University Centre for Creative Industries, the Shoreham Airport Aero and Auto Engineering campus, and the Broadwater site, Northbrook needed a single, reliable testing partner capable of delivering the same high standard of compliance across every location.
Minimal management input required from the college: As a busy education provider with its own operational priorities, Northbrook needed a contractor who could manage the testing process largely independently - reducing the burden on internal estates and facilities resource rather than adding to it.
Confidence in safeguarding and site-specific knowledge: Working across an educational establishment with students and staff on site every day, Northbrook needed assurance that engineers were appropriately vetted and genuinely familiar with the demands of working in this kind of environment.
Solution
Intersafe, part of Complii, built a long-term testing programme around consistency of standards, of people, and of communication - recognising that this was exactly what Northbrook valued most:
Over 13,000 items tested across three campuses: Intersafe's team of highly qualified electrical testing engineers has tested over 13,000 items across Northbrook's three sites, ensuring every portable appliance in use - from classrooms to specialist engineering workshops - meets current safety standards.
A dedicated Team Leader and consistent engineers on site: The same engineers return to Northbrook on each visit, building genuine familiarity with the college's sites, equipment, and ways of working. A dedicated Team Leader visited the site ahead of works beginning and managed the project throughout, keeping the management input required from the college to a minimum.
Fully DBS-checked, fully accredited engineers: All engineers working on site are DBS checked, giving the college confidence in their suitability to work within an educational environment. Intersafe's NICEIC approval and accreditation from SAFE, CHAS, and ISO, together with public and employer's liability insurance to £10 million, gave Northbrook further reassurance in the credentials behind the service.
Open, continuous communication throughout: Lines of communication have remained consistently open across the relationship, with the college able to rely on a high standard of service and clear contact whenever needed - a key factor in why Intersafe continues to be the college's chosen testing partner more than a decade on.
Results
Northbrook College has continued to rely on Intersafe for over a decade - a relationship built on trust, reliability, and a consistently high standard of service across all three campuses:
13,000+ items kept safe and compliant: Comprehensive PAT testing has been delivered across the University Centre for Creative Industries, the Shoreham Airport campus, and the Broadwater site, giving the college complete confidence in the safety of its portable electrical equipment.
Minimal management burden on college staff: The dedicated Team Leader model meant the project was managed effectively with very little ongoing input required from Northbrook's own estates and facilities team, freeing them to focus on other priorities.
A decade-long, trusted partnership: Since 2013, Northbrook has continued working with Intersafe specifically because of the consistency of service, the familiarity of the engineering team, and the reliability of communication throughout — a relationship the college describes as reliable, trustworthy, and highly professional.
“We have been working with Intersafe to meet our electrical compliance needs since 2013. They offer a consistent high standard of service and the lines of communication are always open, with a dedicated Team Leader on site. Intersafe has taken the time to understand our site and our requirements in order to deliver a constant high standard of service. They have proved to be reliable, trustworthy and highly professional, and the same engineers are always on the job, which provides an excellent knowledge of site and consistency of service. The team are all DBS checked, which gives me peace of mind that they are expert at working with educational establishments. It is also reassuring to know that they are a NICEIC approved contractor and accredited by SAFE, CHAS and ISO, with public and employer’s liability insurance to £10m. The dedicated Team Leader visited our site before work began and managed the project, which meant minimal management input was required from us throughout testing, allowing us to continue with other work.”
Simon Brodrick, Estates and Facilities Manager, Northbrook College