Easton College adds air-source heat pump training

UK: Easton College, Norwich, has opened a new Renewables Hub within its Construction Skills Centre to apprentices with the skills in air-source heat pumps, solar thermal systems and rainwater harvesting.

It will enable plumbing and heating apprentices to practice installing, commissioning, and fault-finding on air-source heat pumps, solar thermal hot water and rainwater harvesting systems.

The Hub has been fitted with £100,000-worth of new equipment, including two air-source heat pump demonstration rigs, designed and installed by R A Brown Heating Services, which are connected to a hot water cylinder and plumbed to radiators and sinks.

The teaching and learning space within the Renewables Hub is flexible, with room for additional rigs to be set up and tailored to employers’ particular training requirements.

Easton College is helping plumbing and heating businesses to train the next generation of engineers in low-carbon heating systems by offering a renewables pathway within the Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician Apprenticeship Standard.

In addition, the college plans to introduce the Low Carbon Heating Technician Apprenticeship Standard in 2025, designed to train those working exclusively on low carbon heating systems.

The Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Norfolk and Suffolk has identified net zero as a key priority, with a specific focus on increasing de-carbonisation skills and driving job creation. The linked Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) has provided £100,000 funding for the new equipment in the Renewables Hub.

“We are already seeing a lot of interest from employers in the renewables pathway of the plumbing and heating apprenticeship, with two groups lined up to begin the apprenticeship this month and in January,” said Caron Goreham, the college’s head of apprenticeships.

“As the adoption of air source heat pumps gathers pace, we expect to see the balance of plumbing and heating apprentices shift towards those on the renewables pathway and the Low Carbon Heating Technician Apprenticeship Standard we’ll be introducing next year.

“The fantastic facilities in the Renewables Hub, which have been designed and installed by employers, give us everything we need to deliver this training. The flexibility of the space means we can continue to develop the facility as the technology evolves, as well as adapting to the particular training needs of our employer partners.”