A first peek inside a £1 million investment to support the upskilling of heating engineers on the outskirts of Hull has been given.
The National Training and Technology Centre is closing in on launch at Bridgehead South, Hessle, and chief executive of qualification body BPEC, Neil Collishaw, was among the first to take it in the development from Ideal Heating.
He was welcomed to the state-of-the-art facility that focuses on low carbon heating, ahead of completion. BPEC accredits training courses and qualifications that will be worked towards there as part of Ideal’s Expert Academy.
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Mr Collishaw was given a tour by Andrew Johnson, Ideal’s training director, and spoke with some of the technical training team at the business park.
He said: “The industry is at a pivotal point as the UK heads towards its net-zero targets, and demand for a renewable-focused skill set increases. Using Ideal’s range of hands-on equipment to deliver training on low-carbon heating technologies, such as our popular Air Source Heat Pump Systems qualification, really helps to bring it to life for the attendees.
“The passion that the team has put in to creating these extraordinary facilities – and the benefits to those attending courses there - is clear.”
Mr Collishaw said combining BPEC’s industry-leading provision of qualifications, assessments, courses and learning materials with hands-on practical equipment, such as a fully functioning live heat pump training suite, means the centre will be one of the first of its kind.
Strategically located close to the major road networks, installers from across the country will be welcomed to the East Yorkshire site, just a few miles from the National Avenue manufacturing base of the Groupe Atlantic company. There, major expansion is also coming to fruition to set the long-established boiler manufacturer up for a new era.
The past year has already seen Ideal train 165 people for their BPEC Heat Pump qualification, with the new facility set to accelerate that, with installers ranging from sole-traders to SME operators, to be welcomed.
Andrew Johnson, training director at Ideal Heating, said: “The investment in our training centre, and longstanding relationship with BPEC, will help our heating engineers continue to thrive as the industry moves towards low-carbon heating solutions. It was a huge pleasure to welcome Neil and the team to the facility and show how meaningful our partnership with BPEC is.”
The former Victoria Plum headquarters, known as Jack Brignall House - after the business park developer Wykeland’s founder - was taken on in January last year, with location confirmed after plans were mooted as the Hull site expansion got underway in the previous September.
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