Commercial Training experts from Forth Valley College visited South Lanarkshire College recently to see Graeme Dey - Minister for Higher Education, Further Education, and Minister for Veterans - launch a new mobile heat pump training unit.
Alistair McKean (pictured right), FVC’s Training & Business Development Manager and Harry Hunter (pictured left) the College’s Commercial Trainer in Renewables, were delighted to support the new BPEC certified approved mobile training and assessment facility, which will be based at SLC.
The mobile facility is now available to colleges across Scotland to provide heat pump training to heating installers, with a particular focus on rural and remote areas and in places where there isn’t currently college training provision. The mobile centre will also act as an extra training facility for colleges responding to surplus demand for heat pump training.
Installers will be able to visit the mobile centre to be trained and certified on heat pumps installations and also to gain their Water Byelaws/Regulations and Domestic Vented and Unvented Hot Water Storage qualifications.
Alistair, said: “Harry and I were delighted to attend the launch and we are excited about what we saw. This new Mobile Heat Pump Training and Assessment Centre is a state-of-the-art facility designed to support Scotland’s colleges, to provide the knowledge and skills required to support the advancement of heat pump technologies.
“As we work towards our net zero targets the adoption of heat pump technologies plays a pivotal role in decarbonising Scotland's energy landscape. Forth Valley College and many others across Scotland, are committed to filling the skills gap by upskilling HVAC and Plumbing professionals supporting them to transition into the world of renewable energy.
“There will be a requirement to deconstruct existing systems within homes and commercial properties and fit these new systems and that skill set is existing within our industry and will also attract new talent to this sector.”
The mobile training facility was launched by Mr Graeme Dey, Minister for Higher Education, Further Education, and Minister for Veterans at South Lanarkshire College on Wednesday 2 August.
The project has been fully funded by the Scottish Government and has come to fruition thanks to a collaboration between Energy Saving Trust, Energy Skills Partnership (ESP), South Lanarkshire College, and heat pump manufacturer NIBE Energy Systems.
Harry Mayers, Head of Home Energy Scotland and Business Energy Scotland at Energy Saving Trust said: “We’re pleased to see this project coming to life. The Green Heat Installer Engagement Programme identified challenges the industry was facing from the lack of training provision in remote and rural areas of Scotland.
“This new facility is designed to play a key part in addressing the need for better training provision in these areas and supporting Scotland’s ambitions to decarbonise the way we heat our homes and buildings”.
Primarily the centre will be used by colleges to deliver heat pump training locally. When not in use for training, other organisations with a legitimate purpose can use the training centre. The Green Heat Installer Engagement programme, managed by Energy Saving Trust, will administer the training resource in partnership with ESP.
Visit energysavingtrust.org.uk/business/energy-efficiency/green-installer/heat-pump-training/ for more information about the project. Colleges can get more information on how to access the facility by contacting ESP directly.
Jim Brown, Director at ESP said: “ESP were fortunate to secure Scottish Government funding through Energy Saving Trust to invest in renewable energy training facilities across a number of Scotland’s colleges which are now delivering upskilling training for industry and adding enhancing Modern Apprenticeship programmes.
“The launch of the Mobile Heat Pump Training and Assessment Centre is the latest development that will allow industry to access training and assessment facilities no matter where they are located in Scotland. The facility will provide a hugely flexible opportunity for industry to gain the skills required to help us meet the Net Zero targets and we are delighted to have worked with Energy Saving Trust, South Lanarkshire College and NIBE Energy Systems in developing the vehicle.”
Energy Saving Trust, ESP, and South Lanarkshire College are grateful to NIBE, who have provided their latest equipment on ground and air source heat pumps for the facility in kind, as well as assisted with the design of the technologies and provided support throughout the development stages.
Stella McManus, Principal, South Lanarkshire College said: “South Lanarkshire College is delighted to have been appointed the host college for the first mobile approved Heat Pump Training Facility in Scotland, which is managed by Energy Saving Trust, Energy Skills Partnership, and funded by the Scottish Government. The College played a key role in the design and build of this mobile training facility, which aims to increase the number of qualified heat pump installers across Scotland, with a particular emphasis on the remote and rural areas of the country and will be a shared resource available to all Scottish colleges.
“This facility will also help meet the Scottish Government’s “Heat in Buildings Strategy” over the next few years and showcases heat pump technology to a wider audience including schools and the communities that colleges serve across Scotland. South Lanarkshire College’s commitment to responding to climate change has been evident for more than fifteen years and is sector leading, therefore we look forward to the project’s success.”