Electrical Contracting News (ECN) November 2016

TRAINING NEW APPRENTICESHIP CENTRE TO HELP RESOLVE SKILLS SHORTAGES IN HIGH TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES An exciting and brand new apprenticeship training centre – Oxford Advanced Skills at Culham Science Centre just outside Oxford – is set to help resolve the very real skills shortages that high technology and engineering companies in the city and wider county are experiencing. The new centre, which will eventually train 125 young people a year, is a joint venture between UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and other major employers. JTL has been appointed to manage the centre commencing from September 2016. Oxford Advanced Skills, under the leadership of project sponsor David Martin – an ex-UKAEA apprentice himself, who conceived the project – will raise the quality and standard of local apprenticeships through employer led training. The new centre will provide employers in Oxfordshire’s hi-tech sector with ‘work ready’ trainees, apprentice engineers and laboratory technicians by giving apprentices skills and selfdiscipline through training in the workplace. Jon Graham, JTL’s chief executive, said, ‘We have been working in Oxfordshire for many years but decided recently that in order to be able to provide the quality of training that young people deserved we needed to launch our own training facilities, which we have done recently with our own premises at Culham.’ SECOND YEAR OF SUCCESS FOR SELECT AND PRINCE’S TRUST SCOTLAND A programme set up by SELECT (the trade association for the electrical contracting industry in Scotland), the Prince’s Trust Scotland and the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) has doubled in size in its second successful year. The programme, Get Into Electrical Installation, is a six week mix of residential and work placement available to young people selected by the Prince’s Trust Scotland. Many of those taking part in last month’s graduation ceremony have already secured further employment in the electrical installation industry. The course consisted of one week of health and safety training, three weeks of electrical techniques, one week of work placement at partner companies, and finally one week of ‘soft skills’ including job searching, and applications. Elaine Ellis, qualifications and skills development manager for SELECT, said, ‘It’s opened up the profession of electrician to individuals who might not otherwise have had access to it. Given the current shortage of skilled workers in the industry, we are very interested to find young people who are eager to learn.’ BECKHOFF AUTOMATION INTRODUCES TWO NEW CIBSE CPD ACCREDITED TRAINING MODULES Beckhoff Automation has introduced two CIBSE CPD accredited training modules that focus on two important aspects of networking and controls communications protocols. The first course is an in-depth look at converged building controls and the Standard BS EN15232. The course is aimed at those interested in finding out how this Standard can help them achieve more efficient building operation through greater integration. BS EN15232 defines the effect of building automation control systems (BACS) on energy efficiency. The second course focuses on building control communication protocols and covers a range of common protocols such as: DALI, KNX, BACnet, EnOcean, Modbus, SMI and others. Whilst many of these are ‘single function’ (eg. for lighting or shading control) and sometimes proprietary, many others have become de-facto standards and widely adopted within the industry. Karl Walker, market development manager for Beckhoff Automation, said, ‘Energy efficiency continues to be a focal point for this industry, but in order to achieve the necessary savings we need to understand the role that building automation technology plays in this. Continuous training is therefore essential as it will lead to better integration between control systems and a greater degree of convergence with IT networks.’ 10% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER ENTER CODE ECN10 IN BASKET LIMITED TIME ONLY Over 20,000 product lines in stock Free delivery on all orders over £50 Next day delivery available Ideal for professional tradesmen Industry leading electrical brands Lighting, heating, security, workwear and more mo .com An entire warehouse at your ﬁngertips! Free Delivery UK Specialist Online Electrical Wholesaler 22-23 Training.indd 23 0161 848 9000 INCREDIBLE CHOICE COMPETITIVE PRICES 10/10/2016 16:40

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