Belfast industrial services firm Dangle has received a £60,000 investment from the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland, managed by Whiterock, to support the expansion of its Dangle Academy training centre. The funding has paid for equipment, fit-out and instructors, expanding accredited rope access, wind safety and telecoms rescue training in a market with few specialist providers.

Dangle Academy, which opened in September 2025, also offers first aid, fire safety, manual handling and hazardous substances courses, and Dangle provides inspection, maintenance, repair and access services across renewable energy, industrial facilities, marine environments and infrastructure. Its courses include IRATA rope access Levels 1 to 3 and Train the Painter, which Dangle says is licensed exclusively to the academy in Northern Ireland.

Dangle’s Belfast Harbour facility covers 7,500 square feet with purpose-built steel training platforms, and the academy is an IRATA-accredited provider. The £60,000 is debt funding.

The structural driver is a gap in specialist training capacity, with Northern Ireland having had no dedicated specialist training facility for rope access and related industrial skills when Dangle Academy opened, a gap the academy now fills with accredited courses in Belfast.

Simon Dunn, managing director and founder of Dangle, said demand since opening “has exceeded our initial expectations” and that the investment will help the company “grow both sides of Dangle.”

Jacob McConkey, investment manager at Whiterock, said Dangle Academy has “excellent growth potential with a niche offering” for customers preparing for high-growth sectors including film and television, renewable energy and marine services. He said Whiterock aims to back “industry leaders scaling their company to enter new markets and grasp new opportunities.”

The academy’s first intake included participants from scaffolding and film production, a mix that points to demand beyond the energy sector.

For the sector, the investment confirms that small training providers in Northern Ireland are scaling through targeted growth debt to meet demand for accredited industrial and renewable energy skills.

Source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk / 4ni.co.uk / startupmag.co.uk / northernirelandchamber.com