College to teach builders sustainability skills

Wiltshire College will teach construction companies how to build sustainably

A new centre will train plumbers, electricians and construction companies how to build to sustainability standards.

The new Green Skills Innovation Centre at Wiltshire College and University Centre Lackham campus will teach about solar panels, solar thermal heating, air source heat pumps and renewable technology.

The college received £100,000 through the Wiltshire Council Shared Prosperity Fund to develop the centre.

Principal Iain Hatt said: "It's a really exciting project that will benefit our students on construction apprenticeships and employers across the area."

The college will offer short courses to construction sector employers who need to develop their plumbing and heating engineers, electricians and builders' renewable skills as demand grows.

Mr Hatt said: "Climate Change is presenting us all with a growing challenge and the construction industry is having to adapt quickly to meet that challenge.

"We are seeing the demand for sustainable housing grow, and not just because of global warming but also rising energy bills.

"Our Green Skills Centre will be there to meet this demand for new skills and it will be convenient for employers because it is based here in Wiltshire at our Lackham campus."

The college is also converting a former residential house at Lackham into an eco-house to act as a showcase for renewable technologies.

It has been developed in partnership with Chippenham energy firm Good Energy, which will use it to train its engineers.

"Both of these projects are vitally important to the training we offer," said Mr Hatt.