North Devon College opens Vaillant heat pump training centre
UK – North Devon College has opened a heat pump training centre in Barnstaple in partnership with Vaillant Group UK, giving installers and apprentices across North Devon improved access to low-carbon heating training.
The Low Carbon Training Centre is intended to reduce the distance installers and learners in North Devon need to travel for practical training on Vaillant and Glow-worm heat pump systems. The centre has four training bays offering a range of system configurations and incorporates Vaillant’s latest air source heat pump equipment, including the aroTHERM plus and Glow-worm GeniaAir.
Training capacity for North Devon
North Devon College is one of four colleges in the UK partnered with Vaillant. It will provide specialist heat pump courses for existing plumbing and heating professionals alongside training for apprentices. For established engineers, the facility provides a local route to developing the skills needed to move into heat pump installation. Apprentices will meanwhile gain practical experience with Vaillant and Glow-worm equipment during their training.
The college said the centre will support regional demand for heat pump installers, assessors and technicians as deployment increases. North Devon and Torridge are expected to see more than 1,300 new homes built each year, creating additional demand for low-carbon heating skills as heat pumps take a greater role in new-build heating.
Mike Blakely, Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group Executive Director of Partnerships and Apprenticeships, said: “This is industry and educational partnership on show, with brilliant support from Vaillant, without whom this would not have been possible. The legacy of the work they have done is a futuristic training centre that will support apprenticeships, support industry with specialist training, and help grow the future workforce to close the skills gap we are all so aware of.”
Vaillant expertise supports training
Laura Thomas, Head of Training at Vaillant, said: “The benefit is not just having the kit in place, but the real expertise and knowledge from Vaillant and their trainers, so that we can support education, whether that is for sixth form students, apprentices, or adults already working in the industry who want to upskill for low carbon.”
Courses for installers can be booked through myVaillant Pro, while information about apprenticeships is available from the North Devon College website.
