Launch of Energy Centre

16/2/2010 V4- proof

Energy Centre puts Pembrokeshire on the map

for training in gas, oil and renewable energy

By Sarah Hoss

Pembrokeshire College is about to unveil (on Saturday, March 6th 2010 at 1pm) its new Energy Training facility, boasting specialist centres for gas, oil and renewables, as part of the College’s commitment to delivering professional training courses that meet the needs of individuals and local businesses. The Energy Centre has been designed to integrate all energy departments and include new techniques required for using renewable technologies in buildings.

“Sustainable development involves addressing the needs of the present whilst not compromising those of future generations or of other people,” said Steve Jones, Director

of Estates, “When we looked at developing our training provision and physical resources to deliver

these courses, we took the opportunity to develop our new buildings using the very best available

renewable and energy-conserving principles.

“The Energy Centre is based at our award-winning Construction Centre, which is a role model when it comes to its design and energy-management. Insulation is 25 per cent more efficient than standard, with zero ozone depletion potential. A biomass boiler provides zero carbon fuel and solar panels give free hot water for the building”.

Water-use is kept to a minimum, with rainwater harvested for toilets. Energy is managed using sensors to shut off lights when no one is present, and a building management system means improved efficiency. Natural daylight has been exploited as far as possible, as well as natural ventilation. Even the steel used in the building has been assessed for its recycled content.

“Some of our renewables training facilities – including a live demonstration roof with an array of renewable energy generation units, and a suite of classrooms - are in our new engineering wing, a development that is boiler-free and relies completely on

renewable energy sources for heating and hot water – so we really are putting into practice what we preach”.

Renewable Energy Centre

With the pressure on to deliver massive cuts in carbon emissions and the burning of fossil fuels,

the new Renewables Centre will specialise in Logic, OFTEC and BPEC certification aimed at

qualified plumbers and heating installers in the building industry. The Centre includes solar

systems from Filsol Solar, ground and air source heat pumps from Worcester, Bosch and GTech

and underfloor heating equipment from Continental, Maincore, Uponor, Hepworth, Myson and

Poly-Pipe.

The renewable facility will teach participants how to design, install, service and manage air source

and ground source pumps; rainwater harvesting and greywater management; solar thermal hot

water heating; biomass and solid fuel as well as an under-floor heating installation room. Courses

will be available for commercial plumbers and also for individuals embarking on self-build and

renovation projects wishing to engineer energy-efficiency measures into their homes.

Ron Williams, the Renewables Centre Co-ordinator said: “We are really excited about offering new

renewable energy courses and are committed to offering the very best of training and assessment

in all areas, whether driven by legislation or by popular demand.

“We will eventually be offering courses in bio-fuels and heat recovery units, solar-voltaic

installations, rainwater and grey-water management, biomass and a domestic heating and water

design course.

“While most courses are aimed at qualified plumbers and apprentices, we can also offer

awareness-raising introductory course to suit the needs of individuals, companies and housing

developers”.

Gas Centre for Training and Assessment

The new Gas Training and Assessment Centre is an important development, providing the courses needed by gas-fitters under the mandatory Gas Safe register that has replaced CORGI accreditation.

The Gas Centre Co-ordinator, Steve Tindall said: “We are already well-known for our gas

assessment, but now we are offering BPEC accredited training as well as assessment which

represents a real development and an important service for licensed gas fitters in the area.

“Our Gas Centre is second to none in Wales and offers training and assessment in all the major

qualifications and reassessment required to be a Gas Safe registered engineer.

“Having out-grown our old centre, we have expanded into training as well as assessment – if there

is a demand for a particular course we will deliver it. We aim to be responsive to the needs of

businesses”.

The Gas Centre is offering a wide range of accredited courses, including the one-day a week year-

long BPEC Foundation Gas course which is run throughout the year according to demand.

“We are open throughout the year in response to customer demand,” Steve continued, “We do not

follow the academic timetable, we will put on courses to fit in with our clients’ needs.

“We now offer LPG training and assessment for permanent dwellings, caravans and boats;

including the new CPA1 course – Combustion Performance Analysis; also we are planning to run

Combi-Boiler Fault-Finder and commercial gas courses, all accredited through BPEC”.

The professional training and assessment team at the Gas Centre has many industry years of

experience, as well as being qualified lecturers and assessors.

“There has always been legislation covering the installation of gas because of the real dangers of

carbon monoxide and explosion risk when working with gas” explained Steve.

“These days, as well as being qualified to install and check this sort of equipment, people are

looking for energy efficiency when it comes to their gas appliances and we offer courses to ensure

that the latest and most fuel-efficient appliances are installed.

“There is a growing demand as we are all becoming more aware of our energy-consumption and

looking for efficiency measures such as upgrading and replacing appliances”.

In addition to gas plumbing and safety, there are also courses in water plumbing, water heating

efficiency and safety, including the Plumbing Certificate and Legionella Safety in water plumbing

systems.

Oil Centre

Pembrokeshire College is now offering training and assessment to both experienced and

inexperienced oil engineers in all areas of domestic oil installations. The Centre has been very

fortunate in having much of its “latest released” equipment donated by leading manufacturing

companies, Firebird UK, Worcester Bosch, Warmflow and Harlequin. Many have pledged

continued support to the College in replacing the equipment as and when the need arises which

ensures that candidates using the Centre benefit from up to date training on the latest equipment.

The new Oil Training and Assessment Centre at Pembrokeshire College has been developed as a

result of the demand for oil-fired domestic heating in rural areas that don’t have universal access

to mains gas and the lack of training facilities to support local demand for OFTEC registered

installers and engineers.

Oil Centre Co-ordinator, John Warlow said: “Following legislation requiring oil installers, servicing

and commissioning engineers to carry out works notification to the local authorities, engineers are

required to undergo an approved assessment process through OFTEC registration, to self certify

their work as and when required.

“Engineers will now be able to access training and assessment through our Oil Centre, whereas

previously, engineers requiring reassessment had to travel as far away as Sheffield to undergo the

assessments to continue oil work.

“The Oil Centre will make training, assessment and reassessment much more convenient for the

county’s heating engineers”.

Logic accredited OFTEC training and assessment courses are run at regular intervals to meet the

demand of the industry by highly qualified tutors holding a wealth of experience within the oil

industry in addition to being lecturers. They also regularly partake in continued professional

development training and inspection to ensure quality delivery.

New Engineering Wing

While the Energy Centre is based in the mezzanine of the new £3.1m Construction Centre, the

new £2.1m engineering wing, that is part of the College’s £3.8m investment into its engineering

facilities, has been built as an extension onto the main College building. This new facility is also

flying the flag as an ‘engineering the gas out’ development which is so energy-efficient that it

doesn’t require a boiler.

This new extension is heated with renewable technologies that have been built into the

construction, including a live demonstration area on the roof with photovoltaic panels and

evacuated tubes (which heat water from sunlight,) domestic wind and solar panels, for students to

study and gain practical expertise on. Air handling units in the new wing enable heat to be re-

circulated to minimise energy use.

“This is a leading development for Colleges in Wales,” said Steve Jones, Director of Estates.

“‘This is a University quality facility based in a College which offers the right sort of environment for

learning about all aspects of energy production’”.

The engineering wing houses an oil refinery virtual control room allowing trainers to set up

scenarios behind the scenes with the use of computer simulators challenging learners to react, to

experience and learn how to respond to potential emergency situations, rather like the training

pilots experience in a flight simulator.

“This facility is crucial for training for the future of the energy sector in Pembrokeshire and offers

simulated scenarios to learn from before operators experience the live situation,” explained

Richard Bamber, the College’s Director of Technology.

Continuing the theme of engineering, the new wing has classrooms and laboratories for

instrumentation engineering and materials testing. There are also bioscience facilities, including a

sports science testing room and an upgraded professionally equipped gym for sports science

studies. The engineering wing also houses a new coffee shop for the staff.

The Construction Centre houses brickwork, carpentry and joinery, responding to new techniques

for the ever-changing building industry.

The new facilities are part of a £30m investment in buildings and learning resources at

Pembrokeshire College. Responding to market demand, the College is offering an array of training

opportunities for trades and businesses as part of its strategy to provide training in work-related

skills.

The College’s new Training for Business department is working closely with employers in west

Wales and beyond to make sure that the skills needed in growth sectors are on offer here in

Pembrokeshire.

The new Energy Centre is to be officially opened on Saturday March 6th at 1pm.

To discuss your training needs; arrange a free training needs assessment; for short courses; or to

enrol on a one day product knowledge course to learn about the new energy technologies, call Joe

Rees on 01437 753300 or e-mail info@training4business or check out the website.

www.training4business.co.uk

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For further information, contact the marketing dept:

Sarah Hoss

01437 753162 [email protected]