BESA Academy tops 6,000 trainees

UK: The BESA Academy, the Building Engineering Services Association’s online training platform, has seen over 6,000 trainees pass through its virtual doors since going live in August 2020. 

Almost 4,000 hours of online training has already been accessed across its broad programme of training courses, assessments and CPDs.

BESA had been developing the Academy model for some time but fast-tracked the opening to help the sector deal with restrictions posed by pandemic lockdowns and the closure of many physical training facilities.

Since the launch it has developed 19 courses for online delivery and supported 10 separate apprenticeships in Scotland and Wales.

“Online learning really came into its own during the lockdown months and has continued to accelerate,” said BESA president Neil Brackenridge. “We have been able to prove the value of having access to course materials from any place and at any time. All you need is an internet connection.

Helen Yeulet, BESA’s director of training and skills, claims that some colleges had already been forced to discontinue engineering apprenticeships because of their expensive and complexity.  “Delivering parts of the content remotely is one way of making some courses more economically viable and accessible.

“Online learning is not a substitute for practical training, but a complement to it. We are actively seeking to increase our network of regional training centre partners all over the country to bolster face-to-face learning too,” Yeulet said.

Further information here.

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