Five plumbing training courses to expand your skillset and career
We’ve all faced plenty of challenges in the last few years – first Brexit, then Covid and most recently a rise in fuel bills. In the background to all of these, there continues to be a growing need to tackle climate change and cut greenhouse gases. These all have implications for plumbing and heating installers but present many opportunities as well.
The government has an ambitious target for building new homes, with over £100bn set aside for construction projects over the next 10 years. Plus, the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will generate work for installers, as well as people looking to invest in their homes to help them become more energy efficient to tackle rising energy costs.
To make the most of the opportunities and challenges this year is set to bring, here are five plumbing training courses that may help plumbing and heating installers.
1. BPEC Awareness Of Environmental Technologies
As we work towards a net zero target in 2050, there is a real focus on climate change and the need to cut emissions and greenhouse gases. This will mean changes for the plumbing and heating industry, including transitioning to new and more efficient heating solutions and moving away from gas and oil-fired boilers. For plumbing and heating installers, this means becoming familiar with new technologies.
This course from BPEC aims to provide an overview of renewable energy heating and energy technologies for anyone who is interested, including installers who want to know more before they invest in a full plumbing training course. It covers an introduction to renewable energy solutions like heat pumps and biomass heating systems.
2. BPEC Part L (Energy Efficiency)
In June this year Part L of the Building Regulations uplift kicks in, a steppingstone to the introduction of the Future Homes and Future Buildings Standard in 2025. The energy efficiency requirements in Part L in England are interim measures to help reduce carbon emissions by building the knowledge and expertise to deliver net zero carbon homes.
This course is designed for central heating installers that need to self-certificate their work via one of the Competent Persons Schemes (CPS) and covers the requirements of the new building regulations you need to know about.
3. BPEC Warm Water Underfloor Heating Systems
Heat pumps aren’t the only new technology expected to become more popular this year. There is a new notion of ‘Home Energy Management’, with a recent report by Delta-EE suggesting that it will grow by around 30% annually over the next five years as homeowners look for ways to lower their bills.
As part of this, new methods for heating our houses will become more widely used. This includes underfloor heating.
The course from BPEC, developed with the Underfloor Heating Manufacturers’ Association (UHMA), is designed to give installers and designers the skills and knowledge needed to work with warm water underfloor heating systems. It includes an introduction to underfloor heating, floor systems and finishes, installation requirements and what is needed after installation.
4. Access Training Bathroom Fitting Course
Last year saw a major surge in home improvement in the UK, with homeowners investing in loft extensions and kitchen and bathroom renovations. Research by GoodMove found that 48% of households carried out home improvements last year, spending an average of £1,640. This presents an opportunity for plumbing and heating installers.
Whether you are a newbie to bathroom renovations, or would like to brush up on the latest trends , the Access Training course will give you all the skills and knowledge you need to design and install bathroom suites. This plumbing training course covers how to fit bathroom interiors, selecting the resources you’ll need and how to produce supply and waste pipework.
5. APHC Legionella Cold Water Safety
While new building regulations and installation trends mean new opportunities for installers, it’s also important to keep on top of training when it comes to safety of water systems. Legionnaires’ disease (also known as Legionellosis), is a strain of atypical pneumonia and is caused by Legionella bacteria. Legionella can breed quickly in cold water systems, due to ambient temperature rises. It is also prevalent in larger hot water systems, where big temperature losses from heat source to outlet often occur. The bacteria multiplies quickest in temperatures between 20-50°C. Cooling towers, humidifiers, water storage tanks, room-air humidifiers and central air conditioning systems are all typical sources of Legionella. However, by carefully designing and maintaining the water systems, the risk of Legionnaires outbreak can be prevented.
This plumbing training course provides practical guidance on how to carry out a risk assessment of a cold and hot water system in a building and make recommendations to rectify the problems. If you want to improve your understanding of how to prevent Legionella bacteria from water systems, this course is an ideal place to start.
Helping you stay up to date with the latest trends
From changing regulations to new technologies and major building programmes, there’s plenty to keep us all busy, so it’s important to keep learning and to keep on top of new ideas and innovations. As a major supplier to the sector, RWC and its family of brands – JG Speedfit, Reliance Valves and SharkBite – is at the forefront of these developments and looks forward to supporting you going forward.
We hope you found these five suggestions for training courses to expand your skillset this year useful.
Need advice?
For further support, our technical team is always on hand to help with your enquiries.