With the revised Building Regulations Part F, Ventilation coming into force in October, a ‘qualified’ installer is now required to commission all new ventilation systems, whether they are simple extract fans and background ventilators or whole house ventilation with heat recovery, and provide a commissioning report for the Building Control Body.

Until now, there has been no specific qualification for what is, to all intents and purposes, a new trade: Domestic Ventilation Installer.

However, this has all changed thanks to Polypipe Ventilation which has now produced the first industry-recognised independent accredited training programme for Ventilation Installers. For anyone involved in the H&V installation industry, this represents a genuine new business opportunity.

The new two day training course combines theoretical training and practical exercises to provide installers with the information and skills to install any of the common types of domestic ventilation systems in the UK safely and efficiently. The course also covers the inspection, test and commissioning of these systems as well as the provision of client operation and maintenance information. At the end of the course, there is a theory and practical assessment in which each candidate must pass.

Delegates will be expected to have a background in plumbing, heating or electrical engineering, either with a number of years’ experience, or with (or working towards) a formal qualification at NVQ Level 3 in these subject matters.

The new course has been written by Polypipe Ventilation’s Technical Manager Jon Hill and independently assessed by Ian Andrews Associates. The scheme is being run by independent training company BPEC, an industry recognised training organisation which already provides ACS, OFTEC, ECS and other renewable certification. The training course will also be open to colleges across the UK and is being supported by Polypipe Ventilation with a comprehensive training kit.

Polypipe Ventilation’s Managing Director, Neil Tilsley, comments on another first for the company: “Polypipe Ventilation is at the forefront in delivering energy-efficient ventilation solutions, placing us in an ideal situation to provide a training course to meet the needs of the new Building Regulations. Our Technical Manager Jon Hill, a well known figure in the industry, has a wealth of both technical knowledge and hands on installation experience, which he has drawn on in developing the new Ventilation Installer training programme. The scheme has been recognised by the industry and adopted by one of the leading training providers in our field. We are delighted to be working with BPEC and have been enthused by the positive response from both the industry at large and from our customer base.”

The first domestic Ventilation Installer training courses accredited by BPEC are taking place in October at Polypipe centres around the UK. For further information, please go to www.polypipe.com/installer-training or call on 08443 715523.

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