NEWS Training
Malcolm Anson, President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) explains why we must invest in training to address the current skills shortage in the HVAC industry.
T
here is no doubt that the HVAC industry has a huge challenge on its hands with the current skills shortage. Multiple sectors face the same issue, so how do we address this? Training and collaboration is essential in ensuring the HVAC industry continues to move forward.
Research conducted by Engineering UK found an additional 1.8m engineers and technically qualified people are needed by 2025. The study also discovered that people are put off by a career in the industry due to not understanding the job roles and having a poor impression of the sector.
Collectively, we need to help change the overall perception of the HVAC industry. Air conditioning has a significant impact on daily life and incorporates many disciplines. Together, with the government, we need to effectively ‘sell’ the sector and raise its profile and employment opportunities.
We should be driving home the significance of our work in this industry as safeguarding the planet for future generations. The government has made a strong commitment to zero carbon buildings and the EU requires member states to achieve ‘nearly zero energy’ buildings from 2019.
Furthermore, legislation requires improvements of 9% on carbon emissions on commercial buildings as a collective, with the aim of an 80% reduction by 2050.
8 June 2017
Building controls are integral to meeting the building performance challenge and meeting the stringent government standards.
The right controls may be in place in a building, but it’s also about having the correct skills to execute them properly.
What many people fail to recognise, is the importance of decisions made at the design and build stage.
It’s at this point, where the life cycle of a building must be taken into consideration.
Clients, designers and end-users do not collaborate nearly enough and this is where the aim of the project can be lost. Briefs are often misinterpreted which can lead to a building not performing as originally intended.
At the value engineering process, its pivotal that building controls are not removed, or replaced with cheaper components.
A lack of knowledge at this stage can contribute to higher costs going forward with poorer building performance over a period of time. Often, maintenance engineers don’t have a broad enough understanding of all of the components in a controls system to identify potential faults. While some technicians will only focus on separate elements of the system, and not look at it as a complete package.
Everyone in the chain needs to have a full understanding of how to achieve long-lasting performance
of a building and what the ultimate objective is for the end user - a return on their investment. This is where training is so crucial – nationally recognised qualifications offer a worthwhile and exciting career path.
We need to be boosting our productivity by reaching out to the brightest and most promising talent in the sector and showing them that a long-term future in the industry is a rewarding and fulfilling one. Following the recent budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond has confirmed a major investment for 16-19-year-old students to undertake technical training. New technical qualifications called T-levels, are promising to simplify the process of vocational training in England for construction and engineering.
This will be developed and phased in between 2018 and 2022 and will
go a long way in helping shape the future of the HVAC industry. But it is not just the youth of today that we need to target for training. Current workers need to re- skill and upskill. In today’s tough market, there is an upward trend of scientifically oriented work for air conditioning technicians due to the growing complexity of HVAC technology.
Therefore, it is vital to keep abreast of the latest technologies. Technicians must be able to communicate well and be able to problem solve – this is key. We must strive to make sure technicians are suitably skilled to help understand their client’s needs and advise them appropriately with their expertise. We must not forget that HVAC technicians can not be outsourced – this is not like other professions where staff can be easily found at the last minute.
These are highly specialised roles and we must make sure we retain the proficient people we have. Buildings are becoming more sophisticated and we need to find eager, flexible and innovative professionals.
We need to engage with the next generation of capable technicians and engineers, by being proactive, we can continue to move the industry in the right direction.
Let’s put diverse and loyal workforces in place and tackle the building performance challenge head on to achieve our mission of smart and efficient buildings.
www.acr-news.com
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