EDINBURGH businessman Mark Glasgow plans to invest £3 million in the creation of energy training centres around Scotland to help combat skills shortages.
Construction is already underway on the first Energy Training Academy in the capital, with further sites earmarked for Glasgow and the north east. The Edinburgh facility is due to be completed in November.
Mr Glasgow, who owns the Edinburgh Boiler Company and Glasgow Boiler Company, revealed, “This is a vision I have had for some time and given the speed at which our industry is changing towards more sustainable heating technologies, I felt now was the time to really push my plans forward.
“The next few years are going to be critical in our industry. The skills shortage we are currently facing as an industry is concerning and I thought it important to provide a modern training centre with a focus on renewables.
“Initially this will be in Edinburgh and the plan is to then extend that education offering around Scotland by establishing regional training centres.
“We have recently added heat pumps to our list of installation services and more developments are in the pipeline. The academy will be used by engineers looking to up-skill to renewables and to give our current installation and repair staff a place to learn ‘in-house’ as we look to continue leading the way in home heating in Scotland. There will also be adult learning programmes, which will be ideal for the gas/renewable engineer of tomorrow who is looking to get into this growing sector.
“We will have a range of courses focusing on renewables, and we will be using some of the best lecturers and trainers in the business. We will be a one-stop shop for theory and practical allowing new starts to train at our academy and then do the all-important on-site portfolio work in the company of our experienced engineers.”
