Two Modern Apprentices have done their bit to improve the environment by helping to install Forth Valley College’s new Renewable & Energy Efficiency Training Centre – and one of them will even complete their MA by learning in the new facility.
Bryce William O’Neil (19) from Bo’ness and Reece McCulloch (17) from Alva have both been heavily involved installing the solar thermal and photovoltaic equipment, as well as air and ground source heat pumps, at the Falkirk Campus, after FVC successfully tapped into a £500,000 fund created by Scottish Power Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund and overseen by the Energy Skills Partnership (ESP).
The new facility is earmarked to be officially launched in June this year.
Renewable Heat MA Bryce William O’Neil, who is now in his second year of his plumbing and heating Modern Apprenticeship training at the Falkirk Campus.
He said: “It has been brilliant to work on this project and I have really enjoyed it. I have installed all of this equipment, so I should know how it all works when I come back to class and continue my training next year in third year. It is going to be weird in class if I make any mistakes and I am sure lecturers and class mates will really let me know about it!
“It has been a great job to work on as everything is well spaced it and it is very clean. This is going to be an excellent facility for plumbing and heating engineers to train in and I would totally encourage it as this is the way forward for the industry.
“I am really looking forward to going into the third year of my MA – this is going to be the big one for me – and I can’t wait. I would recommend it to anyone.”
Reece McCulloch a MA Joiner working with Dawson Bespoke Joinery based in Riverside, Stirling has been working as an apprentice for the last nine months and attends FVC’s Stirling Campus two days a week for training.
He said: “I worked on building the roof space for the renewable workshops and helped to erect all of the framing round the training bays. That is the first roof I have worked on and it has been a great experience.
“Everything these days is going down the renewables route and I think it looks cool and after working on this project, is something I will be able to talk about with confidence in conversation.
“I think my Modern Apprenticeship is great and I would definitely recommend it.”
FVC’s Estates Manager Marc McCusker called in experts Renewable Micro Solutions (RMS) to manage the specialised installation and Projects Director Gregor Ford, said: “I think this is a fantastic renewables training facility and will be one of the best to be found across the Scottish College sector. Our sub-contractors Dawson Bespoke Joinery and Renewable Heat and their Modern Apprentices, as well as Firth Electrical who installed the electrical infrastructure of the project to provide power and controls to the units, have done a great job and have created a great teaching asset for Forth Valley College.”
Ryan Bell, an experienced Renewables Engineer with Renewable Heat, added: “MAs training in here will be able to see and learn everything they need to know about renewable heating and train through simulation. It is becoming essential for them to learn this these days.”
Ironically Colin Dawson, owner of the company Reece works for, trained as a joiner himself at the old Falkirk College of Technology and reckons that his old workshop on the Middlefield site, would not have been far away from where the new renewable facility currently is.
He said: “This has been an interesting job to be involved in. In our industry we need to be aware of all the aspects of the trade and it is becoming normal for renewables to be fitted at the same time as joiners are working on building houses. I have certainly been asking a lot of questions to the renewables engineers who have been working on installing the equipment here.”
Steven Adams, Curriculum Manager in FVC’s Department of Care, Sport and Construction, said: “Everyone involved, from RMS, Renewable Heat and Dawson Bespoke Joinery, have been fantastic in the installation of our new renewable heating equipment, which was provided to us by the Energy Skills Partnership (ESP) through Scottish Power Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund.
“We are delighted with the new facility and can’t wait for the official launch later in June when we will be able to start training the next generation of plumbing and heating engineers in how to install and maintain renewable heating systems.”
Forth Valley College are taking centre stage as one of nine colleges committed to establishing ‘Renewable & Energy Efficiency Training Centres’ across central and southern Scotland and driving the college sector’s efforts to help reduce carbon footprints and enhance the nation’s renewable energy sector.
Back in October 2020, John Renwick, Sector Manager at the Energy Skills Partnership (ESP) was joined by Forth Valley College Care, Sport and Construction Operations Manager Jeanette McCulloch and Curriculum Manager Steven Adams at FVC’s new Falkirk Campus, to welcome an exciting delivery of renewables equipment which has now been installed.
This specialist kit of renewable equipment will enable FVC to set up its innovative renewables workshop to deliver energy efficiency training to plumbing and construction modern apprentices. This new facility will help to train the professional tradespeople needed to maintain low carbon heating systems that are rapidly becoming the norm, rather than the exception in Scotland.
ESP is a collaboration of Scotland’s colleges and industry partners established to increase Scotland’s capability and capacity to deliver the right skills for the energy, engineering and construction sectors to meet industry demand.
Along with Scottish Power Energy Networks they are working to enhance and establish the training centres in nine colleges including: Ayrshire, Borders, Edinburgh, Fife, Forth Valley, Glasgow Kelvin, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and West College Scotland who have been working together as members of the Energy Efficiency Training Network.
The project has supported significant capital investment in renewable and energy efficiency training equipment, staff training and continuing professional development in current and emerging technologies, as well as supporting overall curriculum development.
The development of this project has cemented key industry partnerships for the colleges, positioning them at the forefront of training for the future renewables and energy efficiency workforce in Scotland.
