A leading college in Warwickshire has revealed further details of plans for state-of-the-art sustainable construction facility and is calling out to employers in the sector to help shape its output.
Rugby College, which is part of WCG (Warwickshire College Group), received a £900,000 grant last month from the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) which was awarded by the Department of Education to create a Low Carbon Construction Centre.
The college is working directly with construction businesses to ensure the centre meets the demands of modern industry and is inviting businesses into the college to provide further input.
The Sustainable Construction Employer Event will be held from 12 noon to 2pm on Thursday, March 15 at Rugby College.
Employers will be introduced to the layout and equipment plans for the new state-of-the-art-facility, including areas specialised for low carbon construction such as heat pump training bays and a mock roof for solar installation.
The new facility will be offering short courses for small businesses to help up-skill existing staff, with topics set to include air and ground source heat pump installation, solar photovoltaic installation, thermal installation, and rainwater and grey water harvesting.
Sustainable construction standards have become more important over the last year with the announcement of the new Future Homes Standard which will become mandatory in 2025, which will ensure that new homes built from 2025 produce between 75 to 80 per cent less carbon emissions.
This can be achieved through systems such as air and ground source heat pumps, which will be one of the focus areas of delivery for the new facility.
Innovative new tools which will be available to students will also be highlighted at the event, such as a Retrofit Assessment simulator game and virtual reality training scenario focusing on heat pump installation.
Alan May, Director of Apprenticeships at WCG, said: “We are hoping to have the new facility open for learners by the end of this year, but ahead of that time we are looking to work closely with businesses to make sure that we are delivering the skills required for both current and future workforces.
“This event is the next stage in our employer engagement around the new facility which will be the repurposing of an existing building, and using existing infrastructure already in place for a ground source heat pump.
“It’s important that we have employer input at this stage as we anticipate the facility will be used at first primarily by businesses seeking to up-skill staff through short courses.
“Low carbon construction is a major focus in the industry now and that has been enhanced by government policy and regulations over the last couple of years, so it’s crucial that we are able to deliver effective training to help businesses to prepare for this shift towards sustainable construction.”
The Sustainable Construction Employer Event is funded by the UK Government through the West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Fund.
The LSIF funding is in response to the region’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) which was developed by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, working in conjunction with Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Black Country Chamber of Commerce, alongside a host of skills providers and firms, and with strategic oversight from West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The event is free to attend and lunch will be provided. Businesses interested in registered should visit https://wcg.ac.uk/page/3424/sustainable-construction-employer-event