World News

Industry news and insights from Europe and around the World

UK News

Latest news and developments in the United Kingdom

Products

Keep up-to-date with the latest new products and technology

Features

General articles, applications and industry analysis

BSE Skills wins historic skills bid

UK: A new body, BSE Skills Ltd, has been appointed by the four UK governments to oversee vocational training in electrical, plumbing and HVAC.

BSE Skills has been jointly formed by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), Scotland’s Electrical Trade Association SELECT, and the Scottish & Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF).

The three trade bodies have joined forces to secure an historic agreement from the four UK governments to manage and develop apprenticeships, qualifications and national occupational standards for the building services engineering sector. According to BESA, this is the first time that trade bodies have received a government commission to carry out this work.

The government sponsored sector skills council SummitSkills was the managing body until it ceased trading in 2017 due to insufficient funding. Now, following a four-nation tender process, the central and devolved governments have turned to the three organisations in order to ensure a secure future for vocational training in these crucial specialist sectors.

As member bodies, the trade associations were able to demonstrate close links with employers as well as UK-wide capacity as part of the bidding process. Together, their membership has more than 43,000 businesses representing around 342,000 operatives.

“This sets a wonderful precedent for the future of vocational training across the UK,” said BESA chief executive David Frise. “We are very grateful to the UK governments for having the foresight to recognise the value industry bodies can bring to the management and delivery of vocational training in vital technical sectors.

“It is also extremely heartening to see three complementary bodies working closely together in partnership to achieve a result that should go a long way to addressing the skills shortages being experienced by building engineering employers.”

Related stories:

BESA mourns SummitSkills closure30 October 2016
UK: The associations behind the original establishment of the sector skill council SummitSkills, have paid tribute to its efforts, following this week’s announcement that it is to close. Read more…

Latest News

29th March 2024

EBM-Papst opens new Chinese HQ

CHINA: German fans and motors manufacturer EBM-Papst has established a new 33,000m² local headquarters in China, bringing together the company’s previous four locations in Shanghai.
28th March 2024

Hudson warns of unsafe US recovery cylinders

USA: The US refrigerant supplier and reclaimer Hudson Technologies has warned of illegal and unsafe recovery cylinders entering the US market.
28th March 2024

Topical talks at Bath breakfast meeting

UK: The next South West South Wales Refrigeration Society breakfast briefing will feature talks from three experienced and knowledgable speakers on varied refrigeration and air conditioning topics.
28th March 2024

CO2 compressor for multiple applications

ITALY: Frascold’s new TK HD series transcritical CO2 compressors are designed for a wide range of refrigeration and air conditioning applications, as well as high-temperature heat pumps up to 100°C.
28th March 2024

Copeland releases 50hp scroll in Asia

CHINA: US compressor manufacturer Copeland is to launch a 50hp scroll for heat pump OEMs in Asia.
27th March 2024

Daikin redesigns Perfera R32 air conditioner

BELGIUM: Daikin Europe has announced a next generation All Seasons Perfera R32 air conditioner with redesigned indoor and outdoor units, making them easy to install and use.