PLOUGHCROFT PARTNERS WITH UTN TO OPEN UK’S FIRST GREEN DEAL-READY TRAINING CENTRE
19th June 2012

Brighouse-based Ploughcroft, one of the UK’s leading renewable energy training companies, has opened the first Green Deal-ready training centre,  in partnership with UTN Training.

The purpose-built training centre, based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, will provide the most comprehensive range of Green Deal and renewable energy installation courses in the UK, as well as health and safety courses, for anyone involved in the construction sector.

The centre boasts a 14,500 sq ft indoor training area with 15 fully equipped classrooms, which can cater for 180 delegates at any one time.  It has a further 3,000 sq ft outdoor training area, plus car parking available for 200 cars.  The training centre also features a 25m long training roof, extensive work bays for solar PV, solar thermal, as well as dedicated training areas for heat pumps and biomass boiler installation.  There is also an external training facility for wind turbine installation.

Chris Hopkins, Managing Director of Ploughcroft, was selected to represent SMEs on the Government’s Green Construction Board and, as such, recognises the urgent need for Green Deal training for installers, not just from Yorkshire but the whole of the UK. 

He said: “We are really excited about the new training centre, as, from August, a full turnkey training solution for Green Deal installers and Green Deal assessors will be in place, opening up new opportunities for construction industry professionals.  The centre will be capable of upskilling  10,000 people per year, so will help meet the Government’s ambitious targets for full Green Deal adoption across with the UK, with a fully qualified Green Deal workforce.”

Based on Ploughcroft’s success in designing and developing the first accredited solar PV for roofers course, which is now also a full NVQ, this latest entrepreneurial move from Managing Director Chris Hopkins will see him helping construction workers to meet
consumer demand arising from Government incentives, such as the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Green Deal.

Chris Hopkins said: “There are fantastic opportunities for construction industry professionals to upskill in renewable technologies and reap the benefits of lucrative new income streams and we can offer them everything they need to do this. We have geared up to meet demand in the industry with what must be one of the most impressive training facilities in the country, backed up by the highest quality training available.”

Ploughcroft will create at least five new jobs in its first year and expects to train 10,000 people within the first year, with courses available from early July.  As the Green Deal becomes more widely adopted by consumers, the training centre will continue to expand its range of courses to meet the evolving needs of the industry.

Alongside the renewable energy installation courses, Ploughcroft will be working with the leading health and safety training company in the North of England UTN to deliver health and safety training for construction industry professionals.

Steve Fisher, Chairman of UTN, said: “We are delighted to be working with Ploughcroft to deliver the very highest quality health & safety training to help meet the needs of the construction industry.  With Ploughcroft’s expertise in renewable energy and our reputation for health & safety training, we have everything that a construction worker needs to meet market demand.”

Ploughcroft already has eight dedicated training facilities around the country and this latest addition significantly increases its training capacity. The training centre is located close to Wakefield town centre, with its excellent road and rail links and easy commutability, which is expected to add to its appeal with construction workers nationally. 

Ploughcroft is an approved provider of dedicated training courses on a whole range of renewable technologies ranging from solar PV and solar thermal to heat pumps, wind turbine and biomass boiler installation.  The company has built its reputation on providing the highest quality standards of training and has delivered such training to hundreds of installers over the past few years.

www.ploughcroft.co.uk