Training You Can Count On For Underfloor Heating
The recent boom in underfloor heating has led to a rise in the number of complaints about poorly installed or designed systems across the industry. At Continental we are often asked to assess and solve problems with other companies' systems, or where an inexperienced installer has just laid pipe in a screed and connected it up to a boiler.
As with any growth product there will always be the cowboys who don't care and just want to make a quick buck but often the problems are caused by a mix of inexperience, over-enthusiasm, and poor or incomplete training.
The UFH trade association, The Underfloor Heating Manufacturers' Association (UHMA), of which we are active members, realised it was necessary to tackle these problems. It has worked with industry training provider BPEC to develop a UFH Installers course and a UFH Designers course, which were duly launched late last year.
Prior to this, installers had to rely either on self-learning or on one of the many freely available manufacturer/supplier based courses. These latter were - and still are - of varying quality with some very good courses that teach a broad range of technologies over a number of days or weeks, and some very poor courses that are little more than a few hours on-site guidance. Size of company is no guarantee of a good course, with some well-known suppliers investing very little in their training programmes.
At Continental we've always taken training seriously because it makes our life easier: quite simply, the more people there are who know what they are doing, the more systems we sell. There is a recognition that strong technical support, fast quotes and quality components are just as important as a good price.
At Continental we have always offered extensive training courses, developed from our own in-house training for new staff, which we made available to our customers. We recognised that the launch of the BPEC/UHMA courses marked a turning point in the industry's development and consequently invested heavily to get our training staff accredited by BPEC to deliver the BPEC courses, to get our training centre inspected and accredited by BPEC and to develop an approved mobile training rig that we can take to any suitable venue in the UK and across Europe.
We fully expected that our main competitors would follow suit but have been surprised that few have invested to get their trainers and their training facilities accredited. Even fewer are actively providing the BPEC course, which involves extensive testing and the issuing of a certificate which can be used to prove competence to the standard required by the construction industry training bodies.
Main contractors and their clients want to be reassured that they will not be paying for costly repairs further down the line, due to a sub-standard installation which does not meet expectations. From large through to small scale projects, good training is vitally important to prevent this.
So what is on offer to potential installers and what is the cost?
Continental Registered Installer BPEC Course
Nominated for a top training award, this course covers all you need to know about fitting underfloor heating systems. Successful attendees become a BPEC qualified Continental Registered Installer. Cost: £395 £195 LIMITED TIME ONLY
BPEC UFH Installation Course
For experienced professionals who wish to install underfloor heating systems and gain BPEC certification. Cost: £345;
Continental Conversion Course
A one day course for those who are either experienced in underfloor heating or have attended other underfloor heating courses and want to upgrade to become a BPEC accredited Continental Registered Installer. Cost: £250 £99 LIMITED TIME ONLY
Continental One Day Installer Course
This one day course gives those from a non-plumbing background (for example: screeders) the practical skills required to lay underfloor heating pipe work proficiently, safely and efficiently. Cost: £150 £99 LIMITED TIME ONLY
In summary, training helps ensure that the work installers and designers carry out is to the required standards, and most importantly that systems perform. If installers are offered free courses the content should be carefully checked or they should ensure that the course has been recognised and accredited by relevant bodies.
