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BESA future proofs F-Gas renewals


T


he Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), in partnership with affiliate member Mitsubishi Electric, has launched an online


training course so refrigeration and air conditioning engineers can renew their professional accreditations remotely.


‘The BESA F-Gas Online Renewal’ course is offered by the Association’s new online Academy. It is future proofed against any repeat of the shortage of physical training facilities experienced during the Covid-19 crisis and the sector’s rapidly changing competence and compliance requirements. Head of technical Graeme Fox unveiled the online


training and certification process during a BESA webinar and hailed it as a vital step towards avoiding the kind of registration ‘pile up’ experienced by the industry earlier this year.


The RAC sector was hit particularly hard by the first lockdown period as restrictions were imposed just at the point in the three-year cycle when hundreds of companies were preparing to renew their REFCOM registrations. It also coincided with thousands of engineers needing to renew their F-Gas certificates. DEFRA denied the industry a legal extension that would have allowed engineers to continue working without renewing, leaving contractors and their customers in a difficult position. “We had a mandatory certification scheme with an expiry date, but no way of renewing qualifications because all the training centres were shut,” said Mr Fox. “So, we looked urgently into how we might address this as part of the development of the Association’s new online service.” The BESA Academy, which was launched in the summer, offers a wide range of training modules for all building services disciplines and now makes it


possible to renew an F-Gas qualification in under six hours from an engineer’s home or workplace. “That means no more hassle booking a test


centre, travel expenses and time off work. This will save engineers and employers time and money, while ensuring they meet the mandatory F-Gas requirements and can continue to work even during a pandemic,” added Mr Fox. Candidates do still have a ‘physical’ option by using


one of BESA’s approved training centres around the country, but having an online option gives the sector unprecedented choice. Also, the safe working arrangements put in place because of the Covid-19 crisis have reduced physical capacity at many centres so being able to have some students studying remotely is increasingly important. As a result, the BESA Academy is working in partnership with several colleges. Some critics have suggested that the online approach is open to abuse, but BESA has put in place a robust verification process or ‘proctoring’, which guards against plagiarism. “The process still finishes with an assessment


under exam conditions even if you are at home – so you need to make sure your environment is set up for that. This will be verified by our proctoring agency before you can sit the exam,” said BESA’s director of training and skills Helen Yeulet. Refrigeration engineers will also need to upload prerequisite documents that prove they have been working regularly on RACHP systems at Cat 1 or Cat 2 over the previous five years. These include a signed Statement of Eligibility from their employer or self-declaration if self-employed; along with two commissioning log sheets and a current or recently expired F-Gas Cat 1 or Cat 2 certificate.


4 January 2021


www.acr-news.com


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