Member Article

Fully-funded Sheffield courses to upskill in renewable energy

Local plumbers and other tradespeople are being invited to take advantage of fully-funded accredited training courses in renewable energy, which are being held at Danfoss’ School of Heat Pump Technology in Sheffield.

Sheffield-based heat pump manufacturer Danfoss Ltd is working with Sevenoaks Energy Academy to host the four day courses, which are running every week from now until Christmas and are aimed at tradespeople, who are either self employed or work for an SME business.

Each course is fully funded via Skills Support for the Workforce, a project aimed at up skilling the workforce that is funded by the European Social Fund and Skills Funding Agency and led by Chesterfield College.

The courses will enable the candidate to gain a fully accredited BPEC or City & Guilds qualification, providing them with opportunities to develop their business and skills within the renewable energy sector.

Sam Fleming, office manager of Positive Footprint, an MSC-approved renewable energy installer, based in Sheffield, said: “It is fantastic that these courses are available fully-funded and we are planning to send three of our electricians on the solar PV courses too.

“This is part of commitment to enhancing the skills of our team and ensuring they are fully competent to work on a wide range of renewable installations.”

There are up to 1,000 places being offered, which includes accredited courses in Solar Thermal Heat Pumps, Green Deal Advisor, Electrical Inspection and Testing, Portable Appliance Testing, Solar PV and Rainwater Harvesting.

The only eligibility criteria is that candidates must have been resident in the UK for at least three years, they must be employed by an SME business (under 250 employees) or be self-employed in the identified funding region.

Chris Dale, director of Danfoss, said: “With opportunities arising from the Green Deal and the Renewable Heat Incentive, which is planned to be introduced for domestic users from next Spring, this is a great time to become a renewable energy installer.

“We are pleased that our School of Heat Pump Technology will be hosting these valuable and relevant courses and look forward to seeing many people benefiting over the coming months.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .