Upskilling for Renewables

[Worcester]

Been contacted today by an organisation claiming to represent the industry and aiming to help upskill and maintain standards wrt renewable energy installations - primarily the heating side (no mention of the 'leccy generation)

The RESF has established a number of groups to assist in delivering its workplan. This represents an even greater opportunity for individuals and organisations to engage with the forum.

Nation advisory groups have been set up in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to monitor progress and contribute from their own country’s perspective.

An Industry Working Group has been established to identify the skills needs of the sector (demand-side) and a Training Working Group has been set up to identify courses, qualifications and materials which will deliver sector needs (supply-side).

RESF = The Renewable Energy Skills Forum and it's set up by Summit Skills [DLMURL="http://www.summitskills.org.uk/about-us"]About Us | SummitSkills - Standard Setting Organisation[/DLMURL]

SummitSkills is the Standard Setting Organisation for the building services engineering (BSE) sector.

SummitSkills is employer-led and employer-owned – we work with the sector to develop and maintain standards, qualifications and apprenticeships. By acting as the voice of the industry and working directly with employers, we can ensure that skills development for the sector remains tailored and fit for purpose.
By having a BSE-specific approach, the industries within the sector – plumbing, electrotechnical, heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration – can continue to benefit from a more specialised focus on each industry’s skills needs, rather than being addressed as part of the wider construction market.

SummitSkills is dedicated to giving the BSE sector a voice on the ever-changing skills landscape. Each industry within the sector has highly specific and technical needs and so a focused approach to skills development is essential.
We look forward to working with you to help the sector take charge of issues that will affect our current and future workforce.

I've never come aross these guys before, though I have a suspicion that they were the driving force behind the recent changes to the qualifications by adding in the QCF requirements and tightening up the entry qualifications and experience need even to get on some of the courses.

Does anybody else around here know about them or has come across them before?

Are they influential? If so how, - a little voice in the desert, or significant influencer / policy maker / changer?

 

[missplumb]

I can't say that I've heard of them. Seems to me they are coming across almost as a union for building services companies and employees. That I in itself may not be a bad thing and if they can help to make bse a more specialised and technical "division" of the construction trade then that would get my vote. But I'll do some research and then sit on the fence a while