MP opens new Swale Heating training centre

15th December 2017
MP opens new Swale Heating training centre

A new training centre has been opened by Gordon Henderson MP in a bid to tackle skills shortages in the gas and heating industries across London and the South East.

The facility was opened on Friday (December 8), and has already welcomed its first students through the door.

Swale Heating, one of the UK’s leading independently-owned heating companies, has invested £100,000 in developing The Energy Academy, which offers a comprehensive range of courses for plumbers, installers, electricians and gas engineers.

David Mathieson, Managing Director at Swale Heating, said: ‘Not only will this centre ensure we have enough skilled staff on our books, we also have a duty to provide skills and training for people right across the South East and beyond. The business is ever-changing, and teaching the very latest methods and techniques to tomorrow’s engineers is critical for the industry and customers alike.’

The centre, in Sittingbourne, Kent, offers courses covering natural gas, LPG, oil, solid fuel, biomass, renewable energy, unvented hot water, underfloor heating, plumbing, electrics and non-technical qualifications for industry operatives. Training is tailored to new entrants to the industry, as well as experienced engineers looking to expand and update their skills.

The most recent UK Employer Skills Survey showed that while vacancies for skilled workers continue to grow, there are not enough skilled professionals to meet the demand. Over a third of vacancies for plumbers and gas engineers are now termed as ‘skill shortage vacancies’.

MP Gordon Henderson said his constituency bucked the trend of falling unemployment levels – there are currently 2,010 people claiming jobseeker’s allowance or universal credit in the Swale borough – and the role of the private sector was crucial in tackling the issue head on.

He said: ‘While it’s important for jobs to be created, unemployed people need to be armed with the skills needed to succeed and I’m delighted this training centre has opened for the benefit of all. Swale Heating has shown its commitment to training the next generation of engineers, and that’s fantastic to see and will help bring unemployment rates down.’

In developing The Energy Academy, Swale Heating has teamed up with Logic Certification, one of the Building Services Engineering sector’s foremost certification bodies, offering qualifications via a network of 200 approved centres nationwide.

For more information about The Energy Academy visit www.energy-academy.co.uk.
For more information about Swale Heating visit www.swaleheating.com.
For more information about Logic Certification visit www.logiccertification.com.