Energy Training Academy first to offer low-carbon heating diploma

Feb 26

2 min read

The Energy Training Academy (ETA) is stepping up its bid to close the renewables skills gap by offering Scotland’s first direct route to becoming a low-carbon heating engineer.

Working in conjunction with accreditation body the National Open College Network (NOCN), the Edinburgh-based education centre will become the first training provider in Scotland to offer the NOCN’s level-3, low-carbon heating, technician diploma.

Thanks to a partnership with the Ministry of Defence’s enhanced learning credits (ELC) scheme, the ETA course will be available initially to those looking to retrain after leaving the Armed Forces. ETA co-founder, Andrew Lamond successfully made this transition, having embarked on a career as a gas engineer after leaving the Royal Navy at the end of 2008.

It is planned that the course will take place over two years and will be blended with work experience. On successful completion, students will have developed an understanding of how to plan, select, size, install, commission, service and maintain (including fault finding, diagnosis and repair) low-carbon central heating and hot-water systems, for

working in the low-carbon heating industry.

Andrew said: “The course is currently available in England but none of the colleges or universities in Scotland offer it. By making it available at the academy, we are giving people pathways directly into low-carbon-heating jobs without the need to go through a traditional plumbing-and-heating apprenticeship.”

Service leavers will be the first to benefit from the new course, which is set to launch in the coming months:

“Each year there are approximately 1200 service leavers in Scotland who will be transitioning into civilian life, and they are the type of characters who make good-quality candidates,” Andrew said. “Thanks to the MOD’s enhanced learning credit administration services (ELCAS), funding is available to help service leavers on the next stage of their professional journey."

He added: "I started out with Scottish Gas six months after leaving the Navy, after going through a managed learning programme for gas. We’re offering similar, but for low-carbon heating, to meet the industry changes as we transition towards a greener, more sustainable future.”

Barry Sharp, of heat-pump installers, Renewable Heat, said he welcomed the development:

“Credit to Mark and Andrew for having the vision to take the lead in this.

“The course has been driven and guided by the industry so we will get a product that is useful for us. This is something that the industry has been crying out for, for ages."

ETA co-founder Mark Glasgow said: “Innovation was one of the key drivers behind establishing the academy, and as an independent training centre we can pivot quickly to reflect the growing industry demand.

“With the support of employers, it will bring more people into the trade, which has to happen if we are to stand any chance of meeting the national target of decarbonising by 2045."

www.theenergytrainingacademy.com