Training 5
Existing PRO Club members automatically join the new scheme and participants in the Panasonic Rewards scheme can easily switch and upgrade to take full advantage of the additional benefits of full PRO Partner membership. The new PRO Partner Rewards scheme replaces the current Panasonic Rewards scheme, which will come to an end on 31 August 2021, with any points for Love 2 Shop rewards relating to those sales to be claimed by 31 December 2021 when the scheme will be fully closed.
The training academy at Grant UK’s head offices in Wiltshire, has been established for almost two decades and during that time, the premises have been adapted to meet the ever-changing training requirements of heating engineers. Starting out providing oil boiler training and OFTEC qualification and assessments, the academy later expanded to offer a comprehensive selection of courses on renewable heating systems. Today, air source heat pump courses are the most popular with over 700 installers and heating engineers completing heat pump training through the academy within the last two years.
PVTech and TechTalk webinars on solar installations
We live in changing times, led by a reassessment of how we treat our planet and each other, increasing digitisation and the roll-back of globalisation towards national priorities. These ‘megatrends’, which have been accentuated and accelerated by the response to the pandemic, are incredibly relevant to the roles women take in the workplace and wider society.
In response to the Chancellor’s announcement that £126m of funding will be made available to create 40,000 new traineeships, along with cash incentives for firms to take on apprentices and a new apprenticeship programme, Mark Wilkins, Technologies and Training Director at Vaillant, comments:
The webinars, hosted by OFTEC and in partnership with MCS, consist of three short sessions developed in response to feedback from technicians and will primarily focus on heat pump technologies.
MCS is to consult on a new route to certification, removing one of the current barriers to participation in the scheme.
Whilst the Green Homes Grant has come in for a great deal of criticism, and has struggled to attract installers, partly because of the terms and conditions, and partly because of the apparent failings in its administration, the scheme has successfully raised consumer awareness of heat pump technology to a level that no other intervention to date has achieved.
The National Gas Centre for Excellence (NGCFE) has opened the doors of its 6,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art centre in Featherstone, West Yorkshire to tackle the national shortage in qualified heating engineers with high-quality training focused on the needs of the installers and engineers.
Developed in partnership with EV Comply, the step-by-step solution takes the customer through the OZEV grants application process* and connects them to their closest myenergi-approved independent. While saving time and money for the consumer, installers benefit from sales leads direct to their inbox.
It’s not been an easy time to recruit staff in the renewable energy sector. We asked Andrew England, Head of Clean Energy at energy employment specialists, Eleven Recruitment, for his take on where we are and what lies ahead…
The Heat Pump Association (HPA), which represents around 95% of the heat pump manufacturing market share, has surveyed its members to estimate the supply of heat pumps in 2021. This has revealed that manufactures have placed orders with their supply chains to deliver a total of 67,000 units in 2021. This equates to a nearly double the number of heat pumps on shelves and in warehouses ready for installers to meet the growing consumer demand.
While hydrogen certainly offers great potential, it’s often overlooked that it is untested technology at present and, meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
Panasonic are currently offering installers £800 and their customers an additional £600 as part of their Green Install Cashback Scheme and Green Homes Cashback scheme.
Pimlico Plumbers chairman, Charlie Mullins, recently stated his intention to draft a new employment contract for its 400-strong workforce to ensure that only those vaccinated against Covid-19 could work for him.
To help installers to prepare for the future of heating NIBE Energy Systems has announced a new training scheme. The launch of the scheme, NIBE Pro, follows the Government’s latest pledge for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed per year by 2028.
Pimlico Plumbers founder and former chief executive, now chairman, Charlie Mullins has told his workforce that if they fail to take a COVID vaccination they can forget working. Called a knee-jerk reaction, Whilst the below focuses specifically on plumbers, we question whether this the right tactic for installers on the front line?
The world’s largest energy recruitment and employment trends report, compiled by the Global Energy Talent Index (GETI), has collected responses of some 16,000 energy sector employees. Here, we take a look at the takeaway points for those working in, or looking to forge a career in the renewable energy sector.
It has been just over three months since the government’s Green Homes Grant was rolled out for consumers and installers alike, yet the scheme has already been beset by teething problems. The most pressing issue is that of installer uptake and availability. Under its terms, installers must be Trustmark, PAS or MCS certified to carry out the eligible home improvements; however, consumer demand for the scheme has seemingly outstripped supply.
REI spoke with the founders, Richard Smith & Bobby Worcester, to find out a little more about what they offer
A zone dedicated to specifiers and architects is now available on the Grant eLearning Academy, providing these professionals with online training content focused on renewable heating technologies. This includes access to Grant’s RIBA approved online Air Source Heat Pump CPD course.
Managing director of NIBE Energy Systems, Phil Hurley, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Heat Pump Association (HPA), replacing Graham Wright. Stepping into Phil Hurley’s former position as vice-chairman, a role held by Hurley since April 2019, is Max Halliwell of Mitsubishi Electric.
Building services training provider, GTEC, in partnership with the MCS, has won an almost £1M bid to help existing trades people access discounted training in heat pumps and solar thermal, in order to meet the demand presented by the Green Homes Grant (GHG) – the government’s scheme to improve the energy efficiency of UK housing stock.
