East Kent Colleges (EKC) Plumbing and Electrical Training Centre in Wotton Road, Ashford, welcomed businesses, existing students, and guests to explore the new Green Skills Provision.
The event, which took place last week, was a fantastic opportunity for those who visited to make connections, talk about the new provision, and collaborate to help train the future work force with sustainable courses.
The creation of the new Green Skills Provision was made possible thanks to the UK Shared Prosperity Funding provided by the Government to Ashford Borough Council and Folkestone & Hythe District Council. Each council has commissioned EKC Group to provide the courses at its specialist training centres.
Councillor Simon Betty from Ashford Borough Council said: “It has been fantastic to see the new Green Skills workshops that can offer new courses, which will be a brilliant way to bring people who are currently not in employment, education or training, back into the jobs market by giving them the skills necessary for Ashford to hit its net zero targets by 2050.”
Amongst the attendees were businesses who have dedicated time and expertise to help Shaun McDonagh, Head of Centre at the EKC Plumbing and Electrical Centre, throughout the process of creating the new provision.
Jerry Whitely, the Technical Manager of CIPHE was also in attendance and he presented the Centre with the status of CIPHE Approved Training Centre. This is a wonderful achievement for Shaun and the team.
CIPHE was amongst the generous businesses who donated equipment to the Centre for learners to use. Jerry bought a Fernox water filter which removes all types of debris from renewable heating systems. Using these will result in improved system performance, and greater energy efficiency.
Shaun explained why events like this are so crucial for the future of the workforce ensuring sustainability.
He said: “It’s important to upskill any heating engineers or electricians who are currently installing inefficient systems to reach our net zero targets.”
Lindsey Biggs, Chief Innovation and Skills Officer at EKC Group, commented on the successful morning.
She said: “It’s been an opportunity to showcase the significant investment that has been put into the Centre and it is to make sure that local employers and residents really understand the opportunities they have to upskill.
“The team here have ample expertise that employers can utilise to ensure they are staying competitive by adopting green skills within their organisations.”
If you want to learn more about our upcoming free* Green Skills Courses visit:
*Subject to eligibility
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