Following a £100,000 investment, Vaillant has joined forces with West Suffolk College in Bury St. Edmunds to open a new heat pump focused training facility that will increase accessibility to low carbon training for students, apprentices and heating engineers in East Anglia. The manufacturer has installed several key products at the centre, including its aroTHERM plus air source heat pump, enabling installers to benefits from valuable hands-on experience of the technology.
Officially opened by the Leader of West Suffolk District County Council, Councillor Cliff Waterman, the new partner centre expects to see more than 500 installers trained in the design, installation and maintenance of heat pump systems in the coming year. It will host Vaillant product courses, offering practical modules within the company’s Aspire Heat Pump training pathway, and also serve West Suffolk College’s student population supporting low carbon and plumbing and heating apprentices. Existing installers will also have the opportunity to undertake Level 3 heat pump qualifications at the college.
Speaking about the partnership, Mark Wilkins, training and technologies director at Vaillant, says: “At Vaillant, we pride ourselves in offering robust training, especially for those keen to diversify their business with low carbon technology. This partnership with West Suffolk College now provides a convenient base for even more installers from the surrounding area and those coming into the industry, to access the right training to gain first-hand experience of heat pump technologies.”
Phil Stittle, executive director for business development at West Suffolk College adds: “Our partnership with Vaillant opens the doors for even more installers looking to invest in training and make the move to incorporate heat pump installation into their offering to customers. For many installers, heat pump technology is still relatively new, so having product on-site that they can work with and ask questions, will go a long way to building confidence.”
For more information on the Vaillant training courses available visit: https://www.vaillant.co.uk/
