In line with new industry-wide developments, the College has installed an environmentally friendly bay which introduces apprentices to HVO fuel and burners, solar hot water and heat pump technology.
Peter Lynch, Plumbing Lecturer at Northern Regional College, said having the right equipment while training “offers apprentices the opportunity to become familiar with the reality of plumbing”.
It also means newly qualified plumbers “will be fully equipped to provide safe, high-quality work, ensuring sustainability across the industry.”
Mr Lynch thanked manufacturers and suppliers for supporting apprentices with “contemporary equipment for use in their training” which he said had “massively helped the College with its aim to be constantly improving student learning experiences”.
“Due to the increasing demand for workers in this sector, now is the time for companies to begin recruiting apprentices for the start of the new academic year,” said Mr Lynch.
OFTEC Ireland - a not for profit trade organisation for the heating and cooking industries - has been supporting the College with development of the centre and ensuring regulations are adhered to during training.
Grant Engineering, Warmflow, Firebird, and Copper Industries are among the manufacturers to have welcomed students to their production factories and training facilities.
Warmflow Area Sales Manager Chris Cormican said a partnership between industry and academia benefits both the community and the heating sector itself.
“We believe that collaborating with education providers is often the only way to ensure that advances in heating appliance technology reaches and is fully understood by the next generation of plumbing and heating engineers,” he said.
“Warmflow is delighted to be partnering with Northern Regional College in the showcasing of the latest heating product technologies, providing both teaching-aid products and underpinning knowledge.”
Paul McDowell, Sales Manager at Plumbmaster, said the firm was “very happy to help support the College and future plumbers by helping introduce renewable technology into the apprenticeship training programme at the Newtownabbey campus.”
He added that “with the knowledge and access to the best products we were delighted to be able to support the next generation of our industry.”
Cathal Rafferty, Technical Contract Manager at industry leader Firebird, said the company “has a responsibility to ensure that talent within the industry is nurtured and developed” and that “apprentice plumbers are trained to the highest standards”.
“Working closely with the college gives Firebird the opportunity to showcase new technology, whether it is giving the apprentices hands-on experience working on our range of fuel efficient low emission boilers, sharing our research into renewable energy sources, such as HVO, or working together to deliver practical solutions to drive down household emissions,” said Mr Rafferty.
Students who’ve benefitted from the provision of appliances include Morgan Finney, Harry Thompson and Ethan Hood,
All three won their heats at the College’s inter-campus SkillBuild Competition and have now progressed to the NI SkillBuild Competition in May.
The students were also recognised for their achievements with prizes presented by Richard Robinson, Sales Director at Beggs and Partners.
Mr Robinson said the company was delighted to support Northern Regional College throughout the years by providing materials for use in the training centre.
“Providing quality products has always been our focus and we believe that students should only train using the best materials,” he added.