Safety first at new BESA Academy

UK: The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has opened its new online Academy with its first online health and safety environment course and test in partnership with Mitsubishi Electric.

Opened this week, the BESA Academy will deliver a comprehensive programme of training courses, assessments and CPD for individuals, employers and training providers in the building services sector. A suite of free CPD courses is also being provided via the Academy supplied by BESA affiliate members Airflow, Altecnic, Flamco, HASL, Kingspan, TATA Steel and Swegon.

A highlight of the launch is the six-module Health and Safety Environment course and test, covering the latest requirements for keeping workers safe and meeting new site operating procedures.

With many of the industry’s test centres currently struggling to clear their backlogs following the lockdown period, BESA expects rapid take-up of this course because it can be accessed, completed and the test assessed online at the candidate’s convenience.

The course of around 3-hours duration meets the H&S requirements for all craft and operative SKILLcards and is designed for those within the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration occupations.

The test can be taken as part of the course or as a standalone. The course and test costs £95.00+VAT (£50.00+VAT for BESA members). The test on its own costs £19.50+VAT.

Further information here.

Access

The BESA Academy is designed to allow individuals to access all of the resources needed to improve their existing skills and learn new ones while also keeping their qualifications and competencies up to date. Employers and managers can also ensure their workforces are fully qualified and able to comply with legislation and industry standards.

All training modules are accessible from a smartphone, tablet or laptop whether the user is at home, at work or on the move.

BESA also insists that training providers can also outsource the online learning elements of their courses, freeing them up to focus on the aspects that require physical participation.

“A lot of colleges had been forced to discontinue some engineering apprenticeships, for example, because they are more expensive and complex than other types of training,” said BESA’s director of training and skills Helen Yeulet.  “Delivering more of the course content remotely will make it more economically viable.”

The Academy also aims to attract a new generation of engineers to the industry with younger people, in particular, used to accessing learning materials remotely and at their own convenience.

“This will help engineering employers looking to modernise their approach and appeal to the 18 to 35 group, in particular,” said BESA vice president Claire Curran. “With the new working from home culture, we must introduce greater flexibility into our employment and training models.”

For more information go to www.thebesa.com/academy