The National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies has opened its first centres in north and south Wales, with hubs located at Llandrillo and Neath Port Talbot Colleges.

Each hub is supported by a number of other training providers to ensure businesses in these regions have easy access to Skills Academy courses.

Training currently on offer in Wales includes solar thermal, solar photovoltaics, heat pumps and grey/rainwater harvesting and recycling.

In addition to courses for installers, the National Skills Academy also provides a Level 3 environmental awareness qualification, which is embedded in its technical training and also available as a stand-alone unit for anyone who needs an overview of renewables; such as the sales or customer service team.

“It has always been our mission to ensure that every installer in the UK has access to industry-leading environmental technologies training in a location close to their business,” said executive director for the Skills Academy, Cathryn Hickey. “These new centres in Wales are a key milestone in the Skills Academy’s development, bringing the total number of hub colleges up to 23 and helping even more of Britain’s building services professionals take advantage of the opportunities presented by this growth area of the industry.”

As with all Skills Academy providers, Llandrillo and Neath Port Talbot Colleges had to meet stringent criteria which include having excellent facilities, keeping up-to-date as technologies emerge supported by a good relationship with manufacturers to provided new equipment, with all training delivered by tutors who are experts in their given field. All training is mapped to National Occupational Standards (NOS) and meets existing and future legislative requirements.

For more information and to find your nearest hub, visit www.nsaet.org.uk.