Ideal Heating offers free courses on heat pump installation
Ideal Heating’s transition to renewable heating solutions will play a key role in the UK’s transition to a net zero economy. Having launched its first heat pump production line earlier this year, the Oh Yes! Net Zero member is now ensuring the industry has the skills it needs for a low carbon future through free and low-cost training courses for installers.
With heating in buildings accounting for around 17 per cent of CO2 emissions, a huge decarbonisation of housing stock must take place for the UK to achieve net zero status by 2050.
That’s why the Government has set a target for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed in the UK every year by 2028 – and Hull-based Ideal Heating is at the forefront of the transition to low carbon heating technologies.
It has already invested £60m over the past two years in a new heat pump manufacturing facility, an expansion of its warehouse and distribution site and a research and development centre to pioneer the heating solutions of the future.
And, as part of its efforts to ensure the Government’s ambitious target can be met, the firm is now also providing free and low-cost training courses so engineers can gain the skills they need to install and service heat pumps.
Andrew Johnson, Ideal Heating’s training director, said: “Heat pumps are very different from traditional gas boilers, and we want to make it as easy as possible for people across the industry to get the training and qualifications necessary for them to work with the latest, low carbon products.
“We partnered with Hull City Council and Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership to secure funding from the Department of Education so that self-employed people can take part in the courses completely free of charge, while businesses can have their employees trained at a fraction of the usual cost.”
Ideal Heating is offering two funded courses – known as Skills Bootcamps – aimed at existing gas heating engineers.
The first course takes eight days to complete and enables participants to install, commission and service monobloc heating systems. The second, 10-day course, is for engineers who want to work on both monobloc heat pumps and more complex split systems.
Both courses allow participants to register with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). This registration is necessary to install heat pumps under the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which gives eligible householders £7,500 towards a low carbon heating system. The 10-day course also leads to a City & Guilds 2079 F-Gas qualification.
The courses are taught using a mix of theory, real-life simulations and practical, hands-on activities and are held at Ideal Heating’s £2m industry-leading, purpose-built training centre at Bridgehead Business Park in Hessle.
“Many self-employed heating engineers and plumbers would find it difficult to take two full weeks away from work, so we’ve designed the courses with them in mind by leaving a gap of a couple of weeks between weeks one and two,” Andrew said.
“Heat pumps are three times more efficient than gas boilers, making them a cheaper, greener and more sustainable option for homes.
“The UK will need thousands of engineers who are able to install and service them in the years ahead, and these courses are the perfect opportunity for engineers to gain the skills and qualifications they need for their future careers.”
Amanda Olssen, Skills Bootcamp programme lead at Hull City Council, said: “Skills Bootcamps are part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, which is all about helping people gain in-demand skills.
“We want local residents to benefit from training that leads to recognised qualifications and supports them in finding and keeping high-quality jobs.
“The courses available from Ideal Heating are a great example of this, and will also play an important part the UK’s transition to a net zero economy.”
More information about Ideal Heating’s heat pump courses, including pricing for employees of companies, can be found here.