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In this issue: • The Universe of Engineering • Inspiring the Next Generation • Shaping the UK’s Future Engineers • Trailblazer Apprenticeships
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2015 .......................................................................
............................................................. ......................................................... ..................................................... ................................................... ................................................... ................................................... ................................................... June 4 ICOM Lunch, RAF Club, London**
July 2 An Audience with Alastair Campbell, IBM, Southbank**
Sept 10 Utility Metering, Heart of England Conference Centre, Fillongley* October 15 Utility Asset Management, PwC Birmingham*
Nov 4 Gas 2015, Williams F1 Conference Centre, Grove, Oxfordshire* Nov 25 HHIC Conference and Parliamentary Reception, London** April 13 2016 Regulation, Hogan Lovells, London*
For information on attending, speaking, sponsoring or exhibiting at any of the above events, please contact: *Vanessa Webster e: vanessa@eua.org.uk t: 01926 513763
or
**Natalie Flay e: natalie@eua.org.uk t: 01926 513741
www.eua.org.uk/events
SPRING - SUMMER 2015
WELCOME
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Welcome from your editor... Inside we look at some of the ways in which industry, education and Government is tackling the well documented skills shortage in our sector.
would like to see more focus and guidance on careers instilled in schools as well as work experience and a culture developed that recognises and encourages options other than academic routes. Our education system needs to prepare young people adequately for work with the right skills and attitudes. There’s some exceptional work going on but there could be even better cooperation between education and industry. Finally, and this is crucial and echoed in almost all of the content from our contributors, the perception of careers in our industry, particularly engineering, needs radical change.
Through the course of the issue we highlight some of the initiatives and research going on, from projects working with schools such as Tomorrow’s Engineers and the Big Bang Fair and research into engineering as a career choice to changes in education - University Technical colleges and Studio schools offering vocational education routes - and other industry apprenticeships. EUA President, Vic Tuffen, summarises the key concerns in his introductory column, recognising that there is an awful lot of good work going on out there but questions whether it is actually enough.
We hope you enjoy this issue. There’s a lot of excellent material and we are grateful to all the various organisations for their input.
Vic calls for greater importance to be placed, by the new incoming Government, on the necessity for engineering skills. They are vital to our economy. Skills policy is often created in isolation from industrial policy with too few connections between education and the labour market. EUA
………………………….................... Caroline Taylor Editor, OUTPUT
Contents ................................... Regulars
Features
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News from the divisions: Utility Networks
Trailblazer apprenticeships
4 6 8
HHIC
20 23
ICOM, HWA, MARC Presidents Column Leading Voice Richard Soper, Worcester Bosch New Members
ICOM
Energy Association
9 10
STEM Skills Shortages threatens UK low-carbon sector
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The contribution of engineering to the UK economy
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Inspiring the next generation
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Shaping Britain’s future engineers
18 19
Case Study WMG Academy The Universe of Engineering
EUA President Ian Hughes, Kingspan EUA Vice President/Treasurer Bob Murray, Skanska Chief Executive Mike Foster HHIC Director Roger Webb ICOM Director Ross Anderson ………………………….................... Editor/Enquiries Caroline Taylor caroline@eua.org.uk 01926 513762 Energy & Utilities Alliance (EUA) Camden House Warwick Road Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 1TH Design and Publishing Mike Hill Graphics, Stratford upon Avon
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UTILITY NETWORKS NEWS
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Utility Networks News UN Board Chairman and Group Chairman 2015/2016
Member Group Chairmen Member groups steer and formulate the consensus view on industry issues and provide useful information sharing and networking opportunities for and Divisional Chairman members. The Chairman of each member group also sits on the Utility Elections 2014/2015 Networks board and contributes to setting the overall strategy and direction of
the Division. Following the election process Group Chairmen for 2014/15 are confirmed Following the election process Group Chairmen for 2015/16 are confirmed as: as: Gas Storage Operators Group Gas Storage Operators Group Roddy Monroe, Centrica Storage Roddy Monroe, Centrica Storage Metering Technology TechnologyGroup Group Metering Jeff Cooper, Elster Jeff Cooper, Elster Metering Metering Services ServicesGroup Group Dave Asset Dave Gregson, Gregson,Calvin Calvin Asset Management Management Network Engineering & Equipment Group Network Engineering & Equipment Andy Vine, Crane Building Services & Utilities Group Andy Vine, Crane Building Services & Data & Communications Management Utilities Ian Campbell, Ferranti Computer Systems Data & Communications Management We are Van alsoder pleased to Xemex confirm that Vic Tuffen of Tuffentech Services Ltd Gerard Hoven, remains Chairman of the Utility Networks Board.
Network Engineering & Equipment Group (NEEG) Update Sharon Roper, Head of Stakeholder Relations, spoke at February’s meeting at Camden House outlining the latest updates from Northern Gas Networks on RIIO. Chris Bielby, Chair of the Gas Industry Safety Group, gave a presentation on the Gas Industry Safety
Group (GISG) and Gas Task Group and how they are working together. Following on from the meeting, NEEG will be setting up a working group around the commonality of PPE across the gas industry, and possibly other sectors, to support GISG’s Standardisation of PPE work stream.
EUA is currently working with National Grid on producing an ‘innovation showcase’ event in July 2015. Details are yet to be confirmed but will be communicated in due course. In addition EUA is involved with the four GDN’s in their collaboration “Ignite”, an online tool being developed with the Energy Innovation Centre, the UK’s first collaboration platform for the creation, design and development of new energy initiatives. The platform is planned to be rolled out by end 2015, initially to stakeholders.
EUA Member representation on IGEM Committees EUA has representation on two of IGEM’s industry technical committees. These committees review all gas engineering and other technically related matters affecting engineering, technical and operational practices in the gas industry.
Technical Co-Ordinating Committee (TCC) 2
The group incorporates Gas Safe Register, The Gas Forum, Association
of Independent Gas Transporters, HSE, Ofgem, gas supply companies and the four DNOs. EUA’s representative is Vic Tuffen, Tuffentech Services Ltd.
Gas Transmission & Distribution Committee (GTDC) The group incorporates AIGT, Coke and Oven Manufacturer’s Association,
Pipeline Industries Guild, HSE, Natural Gas suppliers/shippers, LPG supplier/shipper, gas transporters, the four GDNs, a technology company and a steel pipe manufacturer. EUA’s representatives are Andrew Welfare, Crane Building Services & Utilities and Mike Skeemer, AVK Group. If you have information to feed into either of these groups or wish to find out more please contact Peter@eua.org.uk
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Smart Metering Programme – How is the industry performing? Gary Cottrell, Smart Meter Lead, EUA Despite some negative reports the industry is working well together and is likely to achieve the best system in Europe. The UK energy industry (EUA, BEAMA, Energy UK and AMO) have all collaborated to ensure we have: • Robust communications • Secure communications and data management • Excellent functionality of meters for both Gas and Electricity • The means to produce energy and cost savings for the consumer and the energy companies The energy companies are committed to installing smart meters, both during Foundation Stage and during the Mandated Rollout. Proof of this are the various multi-million pound contracts that are already in place between energy suppliers and meter manufacturers for both SMETS1 meters and the SMETS2 meters, when available.
Energy suppliers and other installation companies are also actively involved in organising and setting standards for training of the required duel fuel meter fitters. There are several training programmes available and accredited by the NSAP (National Skills Academy for Power) as well as apprenticeship schemes being set up. There are some details of specifications still to be ironed out but these are well in hand with all the trade bodies and DECC and will be ready on time. System testing is planned for all phases and the newly appointed SMDA Scheme Operator (Smart Metering Device Assurance) is on track with the development of test specs and appointment of Test Houses to provide the assurance required for the Energy Suppliers, Meter Manufacturers and the MAPs (Meter Asset Providers) who finance most of the meters installed. This has been set up via SMDA Co which is a joint venture between EUA, Energy UK and BEAMA to provide this scheme. SMDA Co Board of Directors is made up of two Directors from each trade body and CMAP (Community of Meter Asset Providers) has an advisory position within SMDA Co. The major
meter manufacturers and energy suppliers are all members of SMDA and via this membership will have access to the test facilities provided via the Scheme Operator and the appointed test houses. All of these facts add up to a wellplanned programme that is progressing well. Other industry developments support our positive view of the smart programme: • Several EUA members are developing communications systems for MDUs (Multiple Dwelling Units – blocks of flats to most of us!). This is investment on their part which they wouldn’t undertake if the outlook wasn’t positive and will ensure that the programme reaches all consumers regardless of where they live. • British Gas has invested over £65 million to acquire Alertme and thereby expand their commitment to the “Connected Home” and the ability of Smart meters to provide useful functions to the consumer.
Sponsored by
Utility Street Works - Shared Value Creation March 4 saw EUA’s one-day Street Works seminar take place at the Cavendish Conference Centre in London. The event attracted around 100 delegates for this annual update on policy, regulation, safety, technology and best practice. The event was supported by an industry exhibition which included Geoplace, Develop Training, Elgin, Linesearchbeforeyoudig, Pipehawk, SQA, Tuffentech and UKSTT. The first morning session gave an update on policy and regulation which included contribution from the Department for Transport, Westminster City Council, Oliver Legal and NJUG. Collaboration is a theme that has consistently featured at this event over the years. What was really encouraging this year was to see some very positive movement in this area. The second
morning session which looked at creating an environment for shared benefit, highlighted some excellent joined up thinking and collaborative working, not least highlighted by a joint presentation from Severn Trent Water and Gloucestershire County Council. Balfour Beatty shared the joint industry work on the new safety code of conduct, Elgin looked at the shared benefits of their National information portal and Bristol Water discussed the Bristol Code of Conduct for Street Works, which is making a real difference. The afternoon session focused on innovation in street works with a look at the work Geoplace are doing on spatial address and street data, and Amey’s award winning Street Works Compliance Mobile Application. National Grid concluded the day with news that they will be making changes to gas pipe identification. Due to raw material changes the pigment that adds
Speakers at Utility Street Works 2014 on 4 March
the traditional ‘yellow’ appearance for gas pipes is becoming unique which has cost implications and hence the requirement for its use is reducing. A change would also mean greater compliance with Europe – the proposed colours are used extensively throughout Europe currently. The changes will be communicated throughout 2015 for launch in April 2016.
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HHIC NEWS
HHIC News
HHIC Reshaping for future growth Our future growth relies on competitiveness and innovation, skills and productivity... and these in turn rely on us the industry- to ensure they happen. In March this year the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced that hundreds more top employers have joined the government’s successful Trailblazers programme to design high quality apprenticeships in everything from renewable energy to travel services. Employers in the gas industry already use the apprenticeship route for recruiting gas engineers but over recent years, numerous independent reviews have identified weaknesses in the apprenticeship system in England. Trailblazer standards present industry with the opportunity to develop new standards that are far more flexible in terms of reflecting employer requirements. For more see article on page 9. Giving employers the power to design and deliver apprenticeships, means we can ensure young people have the skills our industry vitally needs. Apprenticeships play a key role in the success of our long term plans; the Trailblazer apprentice is a perfect example of Government and industry working together to find a solution that is right for young people, and equally right for the industry as a whole. Teaching specific skills to the required standard will not only ensure that there are more skilled people in the workforce moving forward, it will also ensure young people have a greater level of trust in the quality of training they receive, sending a positive message to their successors. But the job of designing apprenticeships doesn’t just fall with employers and
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educators, other organisations involved in the industry have a role to play too. Trade associations have links up and down the supply chain and subsequently understand what is needed from our current and future workforce, which is why HHIC were delighted to be invited to join the Trailblazer Apprenticeship - Gas Service Engineer Development Group. It is early days for the group but HHIC’s engagement is critical to ensure that the apprenticeship developed reflects the requirements of our members in terms of the definition of job competence and how this is assessed in the workplace. HHIC will also be gathering information on any funding that is available for members considering employing an apprentice. Future growth doesn’t just rely on attracting new people into the industry, creating new and exciting apprenticeships or championing engineering and design qualifications; it is also heavily reliant upon ensuring that the skills of the current workforce develop in line with both technology and carbon reduction targets. Let’s look at the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) as an example. Here we have a scheme designed to increase the installation of renewable heat technologies (solar thermal, ground and air source heat pumps and biomass), in line with our carbon reduction targets. To be able to install the technology you must be Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited, however the supply of MCS accredited installers for renewable heat technologies in the UK is relatively small and currently cannot meet the levels of demand that is required to meet the Government’s domestic deployment targets.
To address this shortfall the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has appointed SummitSkills to lead the Domestic Renewable Heat Installer Training Project. The project has two parts: 1) To conduct an assessment, in collaboration with industry partners on how renewable heat installer training might be affected by recently proposed changes to the Qualifications and Credit Framework. The work will help to ensure any potential implications are identified and addressed at an early stage. 2) Establish a permanent National Renewable Heat Training Forum that will address best practice and quality assurance of renewable heat training. HHIC has been invited to take part in the project and to become a member of the national forum. It is hoped that by taking these steps we can increase the number of installers becoming MCS accredited enabling them to diversify and future proof their business, and subsequently increase the number of Renewable Heat installations, which will complement the UK’s carbon reduction targets. We’re delighted to be a part of this project to generate long-term sustainability of the renewable heat skills and training market, by carrying out this work we can help to ensure that standards are established and the quality of training available is maintained to deliver a competent renewable heat workforce to meet domestic RHI demand. The domestic RHI and the Trailblazer apprenticeship project gives HHIC, the opportunity to ensure that the interests of all our members are represented when designing skills or renewable heat training programmes. Both are vital to meeting current and future business demands.
SPRING - SUMMER 2015
Europe:
HHIC continues to be very active in Europe and works closely with our European trade association EHI. We have started to look at the new European Energy Union and Heating & Cooling Strategies and their impact on the heating industry. We are also involved in the review of the Energy Labelling Directive and of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, both of which are taking place this year.
As I sit down to write this article I have checked my calendar and email a number of times, mainly to ensure that I haven’t forgotten to include anything. As I do, a number of things spring to mind; obviously there is the disbelief that we’re well over a third of the way through the year already, but primarily my attention is turned to just how far and wide the work of HHIC has become. And as this is probably the last time I will feature in this magazine before I retire I am pleased to be able to bring you some significant updates.
Heat strategy:
ICF have completed their work on the pathways study which began in 2014. Their final report identifies a series of milestones that Government and industry would need to meet to achieve the target reductions in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. As anticipated the report continues to promote the theme of keeping all fuels and technologies in the mix and identifies a number of policy options to drive the market transition. It also calls for commitment to a long term policy for heat. The use of regulations rather than simply relying on incentives to drive the take up of low carbon heating technologies is an important conclusion and there is evidence that DECC is now looking seriously at this. The work has been reviewed by the Strategy Advisory Board and decisions taken about the next steps to use this work to influence the policy direction of the new Government. The pathways work provided the basis of a series of meetings including ones with Clive Maxwell, Director General for Consumers and Households in DECC, Jonathan Reynolds, the Shadow Climate Change Minister and also HM Treasury officials responsible for energy and heat policy. All have welcomed the work that we have carried out and are keen to receive a copy of the report when it is published and to continue to engage with us.
Roger Webb No such thing as winding down Policy initiatives and developments:
The last quarter saw a winding down of activity on UK policies ahead of the election. We have continued to lobby for changes to the Green Deal and to the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund to improve the take up of heating measures. We have also provided a frank assessment about the prospects of any serious industry participation or promotion of such schemes without reform. Whilst there appears to be some support for this it has been made clear that any policy changes will only take place after the election. We have however continued to take opportunities to meet with officials and write to politicians to press for changes and provide proposals. One area of ongoing activity has been the implementation of the Eco-design and Energy Labelling Regulations for space and water heaters which come into force in September. Although the European Commission, at the request of industry, published guidelines about these regulations, many questions were still being raised. HHIC has been working with DECC and the National Measurement Office, who will be responsible for enforcement, to get agreed UK interpretation on these unanswered questions. We have also dedicated an area of our website to ErP, providing vital information to the supply chain. The website can be found using the following url; www.centralheating.co.uk/energylabelling.
Technical Activities ErP regulations and SEDBUK:
The project to review the ErP calculation procedures and their relationship with SEDBUK, which is the current boiler efficiency methodology, has been progressed by The Boiler Manufacturers Group and Technical meeting. A project scoping document has been prepared and whilst DECC do not appear to be making imminent changes to SEDBUK, it is the opinion of several members that the first stage of the project should go ahead and be undertaken by a contractor. This would establish whether the proposed methodology is of benefit to members and establish if stage two should be completed. The outcomes would also be presented to DECC and BRE for any future review of SEDBUK, or if the new method is a better solution for members, in place of the current SEDBUK methodology. The heating and hot water industry is evolving faster than my retirement is approaching; the updates above are just a snapshot of HHIC’s activity on behalf of members, but I am sure you will agree that they demonstrate our commitment to creating a practical business environment for the industry. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with HHIC, particularly working directly with members. It has been a busy but productive 12 years and I shall be genuinely sad to leave, although I am confident that my successor and the HHIC team, together with wider EUA support, will carry on the valuable work and continue to drive opportunities for members. 5
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ICOM NEWS
engineers ICOM
Energy Association Ross Anderson
For many years, the commercial and industrial heating industry has been trying to promote training through apprenticeships and specific training schemes, so why has the situation not improved? Traditionally, British Gas trained gas engineers to a high standard in the domestic and commercial sector and then industry came along and poached them. This training ensured a high level of competence and understanding of how the industry operated. Then with privatisation it all started to go wrong. Unfortunately, we became complacent and allowed years to go by without ensuring that a similar training scheme was put into place while we still had the system and the people qualified to train new entrants to the industry. After a number of years, these well qualified and experienced engineers, started to come up for retirement and it started to dawn on the industry that there were very few new engineers following through. This has a twofold effect, as there is a lack of trainees plus a reducing pool of qualified engineers to train them to the high skill level needed for the commercial/industrial sector. So, we look at what can be done to improve the situation and there are a number of issues to consider. We can recruit young people and the not so young people, who want to re-train for whatever reason, but there are a number of apprenticeships for IT, customer service and other “modern” sectors of industry that are probably more exciting. This means that we have a smaller stock of applicants and therefore it is more difficult to recruit the right calibre that can be trained to the skill level required.
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Then there is the issue of how we can get them trained. Companies, obviously have to commit time and money within the organisation to mentor the new recruit to show them the way to work and give them the on the job skills necessary for them to become well rounded individuals. The big issue is where to find the training courses to give them the academic skills needed. The starting point is usually a plumbing course held at a number of facilities around the country and this gives the basic pipework skills. It is the next level which gives the biggest problem to our industry and one which is the sticking point to developing the trainees.
say 100kW boilers and air heaters which cover the requirements. However, this does not give the trainees the necessary skills on large appliances. This is very much the case with ACS training for Gas Safe engineers who go through the changeover course from domestic to commercial gas and those engineers who take the non-domestic course. They are only assessed on how to be safe on the installation, operation and maintenance of the gas circuit and plant room issues and they do not gain practical knowledge of the larger appliances. ICOM members got together four years ago and developed a training syllabus for commercial/industrial gas engineers to cover all aspects of installation and maintenance, however, at the time it was not feasible to get it to the next stage of accreditation. We are currently working with other organisations to try and resurrect this and hopefully spread the cost and the time needed for us to be able to take the project forward and achieve accreditation.
ICOM Apprentice of the Year 2014 was awarded to Thomas Thomson of Cochran Ltd by Kate Bellingham
However, the next step is probably more difficult. We will need to encourage a number of training centres to present this course to the industry, but they will need to invest in equipment, and the test facility large enough to be able to operate large appliances. This then brings us back to numbers. To make this viable, the training centres will need a regular number of trainees signing up to the courses to keep them full and get the income they need.
The problem is one of scale. With the large number of new and existing domestic appliances in the field, it is fairly easy to fill the domestic based courses and therefore training establishments are financially viable. When it comes to the commercial/industrial sector, the numbers are very much smaller as far as engineers are concerned and due to this, training establishments cannot warrant the investment in large plant, necessary to give the correct training, so make do with
This is the proverbial “chicken and egg” scenario. If we can get the courses offered, then we stand a chance of getting the trainees. However, unless the training centres can see that there are a good number of trainees available, they are unlikely to invest. Perhaps, as an industry we need to all come together and set up our own training facilities, which offer the courses that we need and keep control of the development of our future engineers.
SPRING - SUMMER 2015
HWA NEWS
The Hot Water Association goes above and beyond What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “workforce skills”? Do you view it as a standard concept, a must do? You’re not alone. Many of us ensure we allocate the right amount of training days per employee per year, we send them on the latest development training courses, we get involved in attracting the talent into the industry, and we support apprenticeship schemes. We are pretty on the ball really when it comes to skills. But is being on the ball enough to take the industry from essential to inspirational? The answer is probably not. Which is why the Hot Water Association Charter has been designed to not only enhance hot water cylinder manufacturing in the UK; but also provide a workforce with the skills it needs to drive the industry forward. The Charter has a skills focus on; customer support, training and service provision. Members of HWA recognise that skills development is a vital tool for expansion and longevity, investing in the workforce above and beyond the levels expected by industry is a bold but necessary commitment.
All HWA members are now enrolled in the Charter, which was launched in 2014, with the first round of independent audits scheduled throughout 2015. By coming forward and implementing the scheme, HWA is recognised by UK standards authorities and Government departments as being the leading authority on matters of water heater design, performance and quality, and subsequently has input into legislative, standardisation and policy decisions in this area. Members of HWA have access to these processes; a chance to shape the industry's future and the knowledge that fellow members will trade in an ethical manner; maintaining agreed minimum standards and terms of business as laid down by the Charter. HWA Charter members are proud of their brand and what it stands for; our aim is to get every business involved in the manufacturing and supply chain of domestic hot water products, to become HWA members; and subsequently Charter members.
Looking forward
Over the coming years the UK’s manufacturing industry is set to undergo
some radical changes. The impact of national and global economic, technological and political trends is transforming the way we make things, along with where and how we make them. The future holds a series of game-changing shifts for the industry, and we are going to have to be both adaptive and innovative to survive. The HWA Charter provides a platform from which we can meet these challenges; it also provides a workforce with the right set of skills, not just the standard set of skills. This is critical if we are to appear attractive to the movers and shakers, and inspire the future innovators that could be working on projects such as designing the HVAC systems for our future homes and buildings. For more information on the Charter please contact Isaac Occhipinti. isaac@eua.org.uk, 01926 513 742. For membership enquiries contact; Caroline Taylor, caroline@eua.org.uk, 01926 513 762.
MARC NEWS
Manufacturing the future A radiator for Mars, a digital 3D TV that is also a radiator, or even a radiator that aesthetically adapts to its environment like a chameleon. Who knows what the future of radiator design and technology holds, but what we do know is that - as with all industries, we need the right set of skills in the workforce to deliver the products of tomorrow. However, we are all only too aware that a skills shortage has developed within UK manufacturing, and that this has the potential to impact the future growth and innovation of the industry. Britain’s business secretary, Vince Cable, has warned that this skills gap is crippling the UK manufacturing sector and that unless we find people who have the necessary skills, businesses could struggle to develop. As an industry we need to address this issue by encouraging more new entrants to choose a career in manufacturing and
engineering. One part of the solution is to increase the numbers studying engineering at university, and then ensure they remain within the industry afterwards. There are various ways this can be achieved via the right connections with schools and colleges. Equally we must do all we can to support apprenticeships and vocational training; encouraging young people to consider all routes into the industry is important if we are to find the talent we need to support UK manufacturing in the future. Increasing the number of people entering the industry is one solution, but we also need to think about the abilities and qualities of the future workforce, which means widening our skills base to include; leaders and managers whose expertise combines both commercial and technical acumen, and also future pioneers of domestic heating technology, those who have the necessary creativity and
technical knowledge to create the ‘Chameleon Radiator’, or the Mars One heat emitter. Innovators that can visualise the next 3D printer or invisibility cloak - an invisible radiator, now there’s an idea! The key message here is that there is no easy or immediate solution to the skills challenge, but we must take industry wide action, build on existing support, and also think about what the industry might need for the future. Becoming a member of a leading trade association such as MARC, enables challenges like this to be discussed and collaboratively addressed, and utilising the skills and knowledge across the wider EUA alliance brings added benefits.
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PRESIDENTS COLUMN
P R E S I D E N T ’ S
C O L U M N
Passionate about Skills
This issue’s subject matter has shaped the key theme of my EUA Presidential year and is something I am particularly passionate about. A highly skilled workforce is a major factor in attracting investment and determining UK economic success, and across EUA we encompass a wide breadth of industry – large and small scale construction, R&D, manufacturing, science and engineering. These sectors are all affected by skills shortages. I have real concerns about the lack of teenagers now studying STEM subjects (Science Technology, Engineering & Maths) and as thousands of engineers retire, there is a well-documented shortfall of well-trained apprentices and graduates to replace them. I have been actively involved as a Governor at the Sir Frank Whittle Studio School at Lutterworth which is a new type of state school for 14-19 year olds, pioneering an educational approach which offers vocational qualifications and unpaid and paid work placements with local employers, focusing on narrowing the gap between work place skills (see more information about Studio Schools and UTC’s on page 15). The school is underpinned by specialisms in Engineering, Business and Logistics. Encouraging vocational education routes is of particular interest to me because of my own background. I worked my way up as an apprentice and my training was both technical and practical and included many different facets. There is a general feeling by many employers that school leavers and university graduates lack the skills required to enter the workplace, such as creativity, adaptability and resilience. My apprenticeship gave me a broader range of competences. I understood the value of wider business areas including sales, marketing, logistics, customer services and operational management, which enhanced my technical training and it certainly played a big part in getting me to where I am today. Better co-operation between education and industry is required to tackle the perception in businesses that A-levels followed by a threeyear residential course is the only route to a good career. Young people have different talents and learn in different ways and the default route really is 8
not suitable for everyone, yet only 32% are choosing vocational routes, I would argue due to perception, lack of information and availability. We need to be sparking an interest in engineering much earlier. To become informed, young people need better work inspiration from primary school age onwards. The bigger problem is that young people don’t know what a career in science or engineering offers. An engineer is not necessarily a man in greasy overalls with a spanner. They are technologists, developing ideas to shape our future and young people need help in discovering what a career in engineering is like. The profession has changed hugely over the past 30 or 40 years and now offers opportunities from the massive, such as Crossrail, to the microscopic, such as developing robotic surgery. We need engineers now, more than at any time as we recognise the huge issues facing the growing global population and the creative solutions we need to deal with them. In other cultures, engineers are more revered and yet we have plenty of reason to celebrate great engineering success in the UK. In some other countries the sector is regarded as a key investment priority with great status attached to it. Germany, for example, embarked upon a programme of fundamental labour market reform in 2003. More important still to Germany's industrial strength is the country's education system. Half of all youngsters in upper secondary school are in vocational training, and half of these are in apprenticeships. Apprentices aged 15 to 16 spend more time in the workplace receiving on-the-job training than they do in school, and after three to four years are almost guaranteed a full-time job. The German education system, therefore, provides a conveyor belt of highly skilled workers to meet the specific needs of the country's long-established and powerful manufacturing base and there is less stigma attached to vocational training and technical colleges. UK industry recognises there is a problem and as the 2013 Perkins Review of Engineering and the update in 2014 outlined, much is being done to tackle it.
This issue of Output serves to highlight some of the initiatives and research going on – Tomorrow’s Engineers and the Big Bang Fair working with schools, commitment through funding support by Government to apprenticeships, University Technical colleges and Studio schools offering vocational education routes and other excellent industry projects. I would like to see greater importance by the new incoming Government placed on the necessity for engineering skills. They are vital to our economy. Far too often skills policy has been created in isolation from industrial policy with too few connections between education and the labour market. I would also like to see far more focus and guidance on careers instilled in schools as well as work experience and a culture developed that recognises and encourages options other than academic routes. I am very concerned that our education system is not preparing young people adequately for work – not enough value is placed on attitudes and behaviour required in the workplace, however, I think the increase in the number of Studio Schools and UTC’s will help this situation. Finally, the perception of engineering careers needs radical overhaul. Perhaps if companies opened themselves up to the public more, explained what they are doing and the significance of it, this could start to gradually change perceptions. If the country’s factories and process plants open their doors to the public it would show just how good we still are at high tech manufacturing and inventing. British engineering is not something reserved for the history books and we need to promote the industry to parents and young people alike. Vic Tuffen is EUA’s President for the term May 2014 – May 2015. He established Tuffentech Services in 2008 providing consultancy and technical solutions to the Energy and Utility sector. Today he is actively involved at committee level for both IGEM and the EUA whom he represents at the DECC Smart Metering group for Consumer Engagement and Roll Out.
SPRING - SUMMER 2015
FEATURE:TRAILBLAZER
Trailblazer Apprenticeships: Created by employers for employers The Government’s Trailblazer campaign puts employers in the driving seat and gives them the opportunity to lead the development of new Apprenticeship standards. The Energy & Efficiency Industrial Partnership sees 67 employers working together to fill the skills gap in the power, gas, water, renewables and waste management industries. This is the largest initiative within the Government’s flagship Employer Ownership of Skills (EOS) pilot, which offers investment to develop sector workforces. The Partnership is supported by Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills), the National Skills Academy for Power (the Skills Academy) and employers including National Grid, E.ON UK, Thames Water and United Utilities. Since its launch in June last year, The Partnership has boosted the energy and utility industries by launching a wide range of innovative new pathways into employment, including apprenticeships, traineeships and work experience schemes. It is now in the vanguard of the Government’s reforms to put employers in the forefront of workforce development. The first Trailblazer Apprenticeships in the Energy & Utility industry were launched in September 2014 with over 100 apprentices on the Level 3 Power Craftsperson course. The first of their kind, these Apprenticeships are employer led, resulting in a vastly improved experience for the students and the employer as the Apprenticeships are designed to support existing industry assessment practices. Three employers enrolled apprentices onto the Power Craftsperson Trailblazer apprenticeships at launch: SSE with 46, UK Power Networks with 30 and National Grid with 27. These new power apprentices will take on one of three roles, Overhead Lines, Cable Jointing and Substation Fitting, which
will lead them into a career with their respective employer. These new learning opportunities have come at the right time with the sector facing up to the reality of the skills gap. Neil Robertson, Chief Executive of EU Skills, commented “It’s fantastic to see how employers in the Energy & Efficiency Industrial Partnership have collaborated to develop these bold, groundbreaking Apprenticeship Trailblazers. A huge amount of planning, innovation and thought has gone into creating them. “The Partnership is focused on helping find and train the 20,000 new recruits needed by 2023, and these new Trailblazer programmes are essential if we are to successfully recruit people from all walks of life into the industry.” Frameworks for Trailblazer Apprenticeships in the gas, water and waste management sectors have already been approved and courses will begin from September 2015. Water and waste management employers developed their first set of Trailblazer Apprenticeship standards together. Approved in August last year, the Level 3 Water Process Technician and the Utilities Engineering Technician Apprenticeship standards are set to become ‘the’ Apprenticeship standard for these occupations. Most recently, in March 2015, two new Trailblazer Apprenticeship standards were approved in the gas industry. Gas Network Craftsperson Level 3 and Gas Team Leader Level 2 will see apprentices trained to safely build, maintain and repair the UK’s gas network infrastructure to provide a reliable supply of gas to domestic, commercial and industrial users. Some of the roles covered in the Gas Network Trailblazer only ever require small volumes and so haven’t been a priority for traditional awarding bodies in the past. The employer assessment that is an integral part of Trailblazer, however, works at smaller scales while continuing to ensure high quality training. Trailblazers are giving employers the opportunity to review apprenticeship content and discard traditional requirements that add no value to them, while incorporating new aspects they do value, but have been missing in previous structures. Two of the Level 3 roles
(Network Maintenance E&I and Network Maintenance Pressure Management) have never had an Apprenticeship designed for them before, so this is an important step for the industry. These standards are being supported by a number of employers across the Gas Sector including National Grid Gas plc, AMEY, Northern Gas Networks, Morrison Utility Service and Scotia Gas. Further Trailblazers in development include Smart Meter Installation (Dual Fuel) Level 2 and Gas Service Engineer Level 3. The Smart Meter Installation Trailblazer will provide an employerled apprenticeship for a key area where additional numbers of meter installers will be required over the next five years, and supports the Government mandate to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy management. The Gas Service Engineer qualification will cover installation, commissioning, decommissioning and undertaking ongoing service and repair of gas installations. The role will include explaining how installations and appliances work and providing energy efficiency advice. The quality of these programmes is assured by the Energy & Efficiency Independent Assessment Service (EEIAS), an innovative new development which enables employers to maintain and monitor the quality of training and development outcomes for all of their workforce at every stage of their career. The EEIAS is employer owned and led and has begun to install an assessment and quality assurance regime around employers’ tried, tested and trusted processes and procedures. In this way, it aims to establish sector-wide authentic approaches to assessment that are valid, manageable and reliable. The EEIAS will ensure that each of the sectors establishes an effective, efficient, streamlined approach to training and assessment, an approach that will result in greater returns on investment for employers, employees and for tax-payers. The main initial benefit to employers will be their access to a growing talent pool of competent workers that are better trained, more professional and possess authentic skills. This, in turn, will ensure the workforce is flexible and more capable of progression within and between employers. 9
FEATURE: STEM SKILLS SHORTAGE - SHELL
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STEM skills shortage threatens UK low-carbon sector The UK faces two challenges over the coming years: transitioning to a low-carbon energy system while continuing to grow our economy. This will require close collaboration between industry, government and society. But chiefly, it will require innovation to ensure we meet the needs of a growing population in a smarter, more sustainable way. Innovation is created throughout the economy. What has become clear over the past few decades, however, is that entrepreneurs and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have proved to be a highly efficient innovation engine within our economy. In low-carbon they represent 91.5% of the UK market, and are disproportionately likely to innovate compared to peers in other sectors. 10
The game-changing technologies that will lead the transition to a lower-carbon energy system rely on individuals with technical skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), and bringing these to market requires entrepreneurial skills. In the coming years the UK lowcarbon sector will need to recruit an additional 50,000 people with STEM skills annually by 2023. This shortage is compounded by a weakness in the UK’s entrepreneurial culture which prevents some of the most groundbreaking and promising low-carbon ventures from scaling up.
Because, while the UK has created a comparatively high quantity of low-carbon start-up ventures, we lag significantly behind the US in scale-up performance. There is a very real threat that the highest potential low-carbon businesses generated in the UK will look elsewhere to attain true scale. To better understand the dimensions of these issues, Shell commissioned world-leading experts at Imperial College Business School to conduct a study on the enabling conditions for a successful low-carbon economy.
SPRING - SUMMER 2015
Scale-up
Given the complexity of the innovation process, this research assessed multiple components of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, including technical skills, entrepreneurial skills, culture and aspirations, support networks (particularly university-centric systems) and access to finance.
Policy
The report confirms that the low-carbon economy has significant growth potential both in the UK and globally, and finds that UK universities are more efficient than their counterparts in the US and Germany at starting up and spinning out low-carbon technologies.
Markets
Yet the research also indicates that the UK STEM skills shortage is impacting the lowcarbon economy – and could see us miss out on £6.7 billion worth of annual growth over the coming years. It concludes that the scale-up performance of UK start-ups isn’t as successful as our US counterparts, as a lack of entrepreneurial skills and aspirations combined with funding issues hampers the development of the UK’s most promising businesses.
Key findings from the report ■ The UK STEM skills shortage is hampering low-carbon innovation.
Technical Skills
The Scale-up System
Entrepreneurial Skills
as many enterprises per billion dollars of tertiary education spending. UK universities generate twice the number of low-carbon spin-outs per trillion dollars of GDP in comparison to the US. ■ Universities with a strong engineering and science orientation are more likely to create spin-outs in general, and lowcarbon spin-outs in particular.
■ Failure to bridge this skills gap could see the UK miss out on £6.7 billion of lowcarbon growth over the same period. UK entrepreneurial culture is weaker than in the US.
■ The top 3 UK universities in low-carbon spin-out generation (University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and University of Oxford) have created a total of 276 spin-outs and 30 low-carbon spin-outs from 2000 to 2013.
■ Rates of early-stage entrepreneurial activity among young, well-educated individuals are half as high in the UK and Germany as in the US (6% versus 12%). ■ To catch up with the US, the analysis suggests that the UK needs to improve the entrepreneurial skills of young, welleducated individuals by roughly one third. In spite of these deficits, the UK appears more efficient than global peers in spinning out low-carbon new ventures from universities. ■ When population size and economic activity are taken into account, UK universities are more efficient than the US and Germany on spinning out lowcarbon ventures – generating four times
Support Networks
Finance
Start-up
■ The UK low-carbon economy is running a significant skills deficit – meeting growth in the sector to 2023 will require annual recruitment of approximately 50,000 additional STEM hires.
■ 36% of well-educated young individuals in the UK wouldn’t start a business due to fear of failure, compared to just 26% in the US (and 44% in Germany).
Culture and Aspirations
■ One factor in the comparatively stronger UK start-up performance has been the role of University Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs). ■ TTOs formally assist ventures that typically involve some kind of formal technology transfer or licensing agreement with the university. Significant investment was made in the late 1990s and early 2000 in strengthening the UK’s TTO infrastructure. ■ The UK lags behind the US in scale-up performance – due to funding challenges and a shortage of entrepreneurial aspirations.
Funding ■ Not one of the top 12 low-carbon venture capital firms globally is headquartered in the UK, whereas 9 are located in the US.
■ US based spin-outs have raised, on average, 50% more equity than their UK counterparts.
Entrepreneurial aspirations ■ The UK trails behind the US on a number of entrepreneurial aspirations that are good indicators of scalability – including Risk Capital aspiration (36% behind the US), Internationalisation aspiration (31% behind), and Highgrowth and Product and Process innovation aspirations (21% behind). ■ The current gaps in the UK scale-up system risk a “brain drain” of successful low-carbon entrepreneurs to the US and its more effective scale-up environment. Shell Springboard provides funding to UK entrepreneurs at the cutting-edge of the lowcarbon economy. In 2015 funding awards of up to £150,000 are available for small enterprises with innovative, commercially viable business ideas that will reduce carbon emissions. Since launching in 2005 the programme has awarded approximately £3 million to 80 dynamic enterprises. The big ideas coming out of these small businesses are not only helping to create a lower carbon, higher energy future – they are creating a new wave of jobs and growth. 11
F E AT U R E : T H E C O N T R I B U T I O N O F E N G I N E E R I N G T O T H E U K E C O N O M Y
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The contribution of engineering to the UK economy Paul Jackson, Chief Executive, EngineeringUK
grow (latest figures put annual growth at 6.7%). In fact, turnover is 9% higher than at the start of the recession. Little wonder then that, in his foreword to the report, Vince Cable says ‘a strong British engineering sector is vital to the long term sustainability of our economic recovery’.
Engineering contributed more than a quarter of the UK’s GDP last year but we need to double the number of graduates and apprentices entering the industry. EngineeringUK has released its annual State of Engineering report - a detailed analysis of the engineering sector that they have been producing annually for the past sixteen years. The report, which is a key reference document for the industry, analyses the engineering industry’s capacity for growth and details engineering in education, training and employment.
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What it tells us this year is that Britain is still great at engineering and that the industry continues to make a significant contribution to the economy. At £1.17 trillion, engineering accounts for a quarter (24.9%) of UK turnover and continues to
The UK is currently acknowledged as a world leader in several sectors: universities, automotive, renewable energy, space, low carbon, aerospace, creative industries, utilities, agri-food and bioscience. Engineering is central to ensuring sustainable economic growth in the UK and making sure the country remains competitive in the global economy. Even with 5.4m people employed in engineering across 542,440 engineering companies we still need more engineers. The projection is that engineering employers will need 1.82 million people likely to need engineering skills in the decade to 2022. Pro rata that’s 182,000 people a year which, at the current rate of supply, means we’re facing a shortfall of 55,000 per year (at technician level and above). Newly commissioned research undertaken by the Centre for Economics and Business Research shows that in 2014, the engineering sector contributed an estimated £455.6 billion (27.1%) of the total UK GDP. It also shows that filling the demand for new engineering jobs will generate an additional £27 billion per year from 2022
for the UK economy. To give an idea of what such a large figure means, that’s equivalent to building 1,800 schools or 110 hospitals. It is clear that there is much to gain, but there is also much to do. The number of students in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) is increasing but far too slowly. If we are to meet the needs of the industry we need to double the number of engineering apprentices and graduates entering the industry. We’ll also need to see a doubling of the number of young people studying GCSE physics as part of triple science and a growth in the number of students studying physics A level (or equivalent) to equal that of maths. This must have a particular focus on increasing the take-up and progression by girls, particularly post GCSE. More needs to be done to inform and inspire young people and we want every 11-14 year old to have at least one engineering experience with an employer. This inspiration needs to highlight to young people and their parents the high value placed on STEM skills and promote the huge range of engineering careers available. In addition, there also needs to be more support for the teachers and careers advisors delivering careers information. They need to understand the range of modern scientific, technological and engineering career paths, (including the diverse vocational/technician roles) so that in turn they can advise and inspire the young people who look to them for guidance.
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The Tomorrow’s Engineers programme sees employers and PEIs working together to reach even more schools with careers information, inspiration and outreach activity on a national scale. Research shows this coordinated approach triples the impact of such outreach and with £27 billion at stake we need to do everything we can to ensure the talent pipeline. When Prince Charles spoke at The Big Bang @ University of Essex and indeed at the launch of the Science Museum’s new Engineer Your Future exhibition last month he expressed concerns about little having changed to address skills gaps in the past 40 years. The good news is that, in joining forces to tackle the issue, we’re now starting to see real change.
About Engineering UK EngineeringUK is a not for profit organisation, which works in partnership with the engineering community to promote the vital role of engineers and engineering to society. The engineering sector has a crucial role to play in delivering growth for the UK, in building capacity to compete in a rapidly growing global market and in shaping our ability to cope with mounting pressure on the world’s resources. EngineeringUK recognise the need to attract a greater talent pool into engineering and focus on joined-up action to opportunities are seized at a national level.
Big Bang Fair The
The annual Big Bang Fair and the Big Bang Near Me Fairs that take place around the country throughout the year aim to inspire the next generation of young people - from all backgrounds - to become engineers or scientists.
The Big Bang is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths for young people in the UK. Everything is aimed at showing 5 -19 year olds just how many exciting and rewarding opportunities there are out there for them with the right experience and qualifications. EngineeringUK works with partner organisations across business and industry, government and academia to try and give a flavour of the real scale and diversity of engineering and science in the UK.
Since the first Fair in 2009, it has continued to grow. 2014’s event welcomed over 75,000 visitors to The NEC, Birmingham. Visitors met inspiring engineers and scientists from large multinational corporations and a range of diverse and unique UK companies. Through receiving dedicated careers advice, young people go away with a fresh, new perspective on where their school subjects can lead them. The Big Bang Fair is now delivered by over 200 organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Led by EngineeringUK in partnership with the British Science Association, the Science Council, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Young Engineers, the event is supported by The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as well as numerous sponsors from industry.
For more information on getting involved visit the dedicated Big Bang Fair website - www.thebigbangfair.co.uk 13
FEATURE: INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION
Inspiring the
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The IET is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with nearly 160,000 members in 127 countries. It is also the most multidisciplinary – to reflect the increasingly diverse nature of engineering in the 21st century. Energy, transport, manufacturing, information and communications, and the built environment: the IET covers them all.
next generation The Institution of Engineering and Technology The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has launched a new campaign - Engineer a Better World – following research that found only 7 per cent of parents would encourage a daughter to pursue a career in engineering. In addition, the research also revealed that parents could be limiting their child’s future career decisions by having outdated perceptions of the jobs they think boys and girls are interested in. The research was commissioned by IET and carried out by Childwise, with a sample of 501 male and 506 female parents, along with 505 boys and 502 girls. Parents of girls stated that their child would be most interested in pursuing a career in education and childcare (32%), the arts (29%), healthcare (26%) and hair and beauty (23%). In contrast, parents of boys stated that they thought Information Technology (47%), Sport (33%) and Engineering (28%) were all sectors that would appeal to their child. When children were asked about which subjects they enjoy at school, STEM subjects (Science, Design and Technology, ICT/Computing and Maths) topped the list for children, particularly ICT/Computing which was enjoyed by more than half (52%) of the children interviewed. Although slightly less fond of STEM subjects than boys, 39% of girls said they enjoyed ICT/Computing, with the same percentage also enjoying Design and Technology. Among STEM subjects, 38% of children said they enjoyed Maths, with a further 36% saying they also enjoyed Science. 14
Yet even though STEM subjects seem to be popular among girls, only 6 %* of the engineering workforce in the UK is actually female. As part of the research, IET also explored the perceptions of the engineering profession amongst parents and their children. When asked what they knew about engineering, 54% of children stated that they didn’t know anything about careers in the industry. When it comes to their interest in pursuing a career in engineering, girls are twice as likely than boys to say that they are not interested in finding out about careers in Engineering (11% vs 5%). Furthermore, two in five parents (41%) stated that if asked by their child for advice about a career in Engineering, they feel they wouldn’t know enough to support them. This figure is even higher among the parents of girls, with almost half (44%) saying they don’t know enough about engineering to help. William Webb, IET President, said: “STEM subjects form the backbone of the engineering industry and help it to continue growing and innovating. We see clearly from this research that girls do have a genuine interest in these areas but this doesn’t translate to the number of women entering the engineering industry. The data from our research clearly shows a need to engage better with girls and their parents about the importance of STEM subjects and the world of opportunities they can open up for young people in the engineering industry. “The research also shows that there is a growing need to change perceptions of what modern engineering is and what it can offer girls in terms of a career. The key
to doing this is through changing the perceptions of parents who are highly influential in their child’s decision making processes and showing them that engineering doesn’t have to be a messy, mechanical or physically demanding career choice. “In order to do this, IET has joined with a number of industry stakeholders to develop the Engineer a Better World campaign, which looks to engage with parents and their children about the exciting career opportunities that engineering has to offer. It’s only by making the right resources and information available that we can ensure the engineering sector of the future has the rich and diverse mix of talent it needs to carry on growing and innovating.” As part of its research, IET also gave parents and children some information on the careers available in the engineering sector. After seeing a little information on some of the careers available, both parents and children were much more interested in what the sector had to offer. In fact, 72% of parents agreed that they would encourage their child to pursue engineering as a career – an increase of 30% of respondents before having seen the information. In addition, before being more informed, fewer than half of those parents with girls would encourage their daughter to pursue engineering. Having seen the information this figure rose from 45% up to 67% – an increase of almost 50 per cent. The figure also rose substantially among girls themselves rising from 32% up to 61 % – a very substantial rise of 90% For more information about the Engineer a Better World Campaign and to read the full report, visit www.engineer-a-betterworld.org.
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Your Life Changing the Conversation The widespread misconception that exists around the relevance of maths and physics requires urgent action
physics. It is these subjects that will put young people on the fast track to the boardrooms of the future.
There is an urgent need to change the common perception of what maths and physics represent: principally with the young people making subject choices aged 16 but also with the teachers and parents who are advising them on their career options. That is what the Your Life campaign has been created to achieve: to advocate for the importance of these subjects and, above all, the exciting and broad-ranging career and life opportunities they unlock.
To bring business and education closer together so that young people can be made aware of the changing realities about their careers and the skills they will require, an affirmative message around where the study of maths and physics can lead is badly needed. Quiz a typical 14 year-old and it is likely they will be passionate about at least one of gaming, fashion, sport or film, but it is unlikely they would be aware that what they learn in their maths and science lessons can provide the basis to build a career in any of those industries.
The jobs being created for tomorrow both look different from today’s and will require a new mix of logical, technological and analytical skills. What that means is that the formula for a successful life is changing. And the choice that young people make aged 16 about which subjects to pursue is more important than it has ever been. The business world is moving from instinct to analysis, and the next generation will graduate into a workplace that demands greater logical, technical and analytical skills. According to Dave Coplin, Chief Envisioning Officer at Microsoft UK, “white collar workers are about to be disrupted in the same way weavers were by the spinning jenny. Algorithms will replicate a lot of the activity of knowledge workers, from answering emails to managing data entry.”
Your Life is a three-year campaign to ensure young adults in the UK have the maths and science skills needed to succeed in the competitive global economy. It looks to inspire young people to study maths and physics as a gateway into wide-ranging careers whilst also triggering employers to recruit and retain this talent. The campaign is guided and supported by: BAE Systems, Carillion, Ford, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Rio Tinto, Shell, Visa. This article is reproduced from the Your Life – The Formula for Success Report. Find out more at yourlife.org.uk
In this environment, people’s jobs will change and become more highly skilled. With many of the traditional functions replaced, the evolved human role will be one that is fundamentally concerned with overseeing and making sense of organisations powered by ever greater and ever more complex technology. “Many jobs of the future will merge practical engineering and scientific skills with people and communication skills,” says Heather Bewers, Head of Innovation at KPMG. The passport to success comes through gaining a foundation of skills that can adapt to the fast-changing employment landscape and fulfill the need of business for a workforce able both to use and properly understand new technology. The new skills for success are most powerfully acquired through the study of maths and
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FEATURE: SHAPING THE UK’S FUTURE ENGINEERS
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Shaping the UK’s The UK needs advanced technical skills at all levels for the 21st century. Whether in manufacturing, wind farms, rail links or hi-tech hospitals we need a workforce that can develop new products, stretch and reuse existing resources, and meet all the challenges of the future. as well as small and medium sized businesses. Together with nearly 50 universities these employers have given their time, insights and technical expertise to direct the curriculum of individual UTCs. Businesses take an active part in the classroom, mentoring students, and making sure young people are well prepared for industry. University technical colleges (UTCs) are government-funded schools for 14–18 year olds which teach students technical and scientific subjects in a new way by integrating technical, practical and academic learning and creating an environment where students can develop the abilities that industry specifically needs. They combine traditional GCSEs and A Levels with specialist technical qualifications, with UTC’s usually focusing on one or two technical specialisms, working with employers and a local university to develop and deliver the curriculum. This provides essential academic education which relates to the technical specialism and means the latest equipment and technology used by industry is available. UTCs particularly specialise in subjects where there is a shortage of skills, including engineering, manufacturing, health sciences, product design, digital technologies and the built environment. By 2016 more than 30,000 students will be able to follow this education pathway. By working with a university and local employers, UTC students benefit from access to the latest research, industry experts and specialist facilities, real-life employer projects that stretch their technical skills and creative thinking and teaching and mentoring from specialists who currently work in industry. UTCs are smaller than traditional secondary schools, are not academically selective and charge no fees. They typically have around 600 students and have a catchment area that may extend across a number of local authorities. More than 500 employers already support UTCs, including Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Network Rail, National Grid and Microsoft, 16
How does the curriculum work? AGE 14 – 16 60% of time is spent on academic subjects – traditional Maths, English, Science, Humanities - and 40% on studying the specialist technical area. These two aspects are closely integrated. A great deal of learning time is dedicated to practical activities, such as designing and building products, working in teams and solving real-world problems. Students can choose to study a foreign language either to GCSE or another appropriate qualification. All students learn about business and enterprise and are taught IT skills relevant to industry.All students take part in enrichment activities, such as sport, drama and art. There is much focus on careers guidance and employability.
AGE 16 - 18 Typically 60% of time is spent on technical studies. This includes specialised, jobrelated courses that lead to professional qualifications, and the academic A level subjects as they relate to the technical area. 40% of time is spent on activities that bridge the technical and the academic subjects, and on general education, including Maths and English. A great deal of learning time is dedicated to practical activities, such as designing and building products, working in teams and solving real-world challenges. Students spend time in planned work placements relevant to their interests and technical focus.
School days typically start at 8.30am and end at 4.00pm on Mondays and Fridays, and at 5.00pm for the rest of the week.
Students generally do all their homework at school as each day includes private study periods. During school hours, students are expected to dress and act professionally, as they would in the work place. The school year is 40 weeks and, with the longer day, provides the time students need to delve more deeply into their technical area of interest and to complete practical tasks. UTCs focus on giving students the qualifications, skills and knowledge that are valuable in the modern economy including essential soft skills such as self-management, team working, problem solving and customer awareness. The course challenges students to think creatively and independently and by showing students just how much they can do with the knowledge and skills they gain each day, they expand their capabilities outside the traditional curriculum. Careers guidance is integrated into all technical and academic studies too. On leaving, students are well equipped and prepared for their next step, whether they start working immediately, opt for an apprenticeship, or choose to study for a university degree. Universities and employers have a strong influence over the teaching and learning that students receive at a UTC. Each UTC works closely with a local university and a range of employers from the very beginning, deciding together on which technical specialisms the UTC should focus. Their decision depends on the skill shortages in the region, as well as the specialist interests of the university. The university and employers back the UTC, control the governing body and contribute their knowledge, insight and skills as well as offering opportunities to experience the world of work. They provide leadership in the structure of the curriculum and endorse the qualifications offered at a UTC. The employers working with a UTC vary according to the region, but will include a range of businesses of all sizes, and sometimes public sector organisations such as hospitals. For more about UTC’s visit their website
www.utcolleges.org
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Future Engineers
Studio
traditional classroom setting with students learning principally through enterprise projects in their school and surrounding community.
Schools
Five years in the making, Studio Schools have been developed in partnership with local and national employers, leading education agencies, the DfE and local partners from across the country. At the heart of the Studio School model are seven essential elements, the key ingredients that a school must have to be classed as a Studio School:
Studio Schools are another new type of state school model for 14 to 19 year olds seeking to address the growing gap between what young people require to succeed in life and the skills and experiences that the current education system provides. Studio Schools pioneer a new approach to learning involving enterprise projects and real work. This roots students’ learning in the real world and helps them to develop the skills they need to succeed. By the end of 2015 there will be 42 Studio Schools in the UK. Studio Schools teach the national curriculum and deliver key academic and vocational qualifications at Level 2 and above. What makes them unique is not what is offered but how it is delivered. Studio Schools take education out of a
• Academic excellence • Employability and enterprise skills • Personalised curriculum • Practical learning • Real work • Small schools • Students of all abilities The essential elements have been developed through extensive research and consultation with education experts, employers and young people themselves. They reflect the latest in academic research and, taken together, aim to
ensure that young people develop the skills, experiences and qualifications they need for life and work.
Students at Studio Schools develop key employability skills through the unique CREATE skills framework. CREATE is comprised of a wide range of skills and stands for Communication, Relating to people, Enterprise, Applied skills, Thinking skills and Emotional intelligence.
more
www.studioschoolstrust.org.uk 17
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FEATURE: WMG ACADEMY
WMG Academy for Young Engineers
The WMG Academy for Young Engineers is one of the family of University Technical Colleges (UTCs) – which are led by businesses and a university where students study Engineering alongside their GCSE and A levels. The WMG Academy Trust oversees two University Technical Colleges, one in Coventry which opened its doors in September 2014, and a second, in Solihull, which is due to open to students in September 2016. A key feature of the curriculum is the close working relationship with local and national employers. They set learners technical projects which are based on the day-to-day problems and situations they have to resolve in companies. All projects are designed to ensure students learn core skills and competencies and gain a range of qualifications as they work through the problems that have been set by employer partners. WMG is currently working with Jaguar Land Rover, National Grid, SCC, Prodrive, Ricardo, Automotive Insulations, Squires Gears, Dassault Systemes, Tata Motors and Bosch and the list of businesses continues to grow. Building the employability skills that employers value, has shaped how the curriculum is delivered. Through employer projects student’s competence are developed in team working, problem solving, creativity, leadership, communication, resilience and the ability to respond to change. 18
The potential for students to really engage with engineering and with business, to develop their own personal pathways to their future career is huge. Employers also have an opportunity to really future-proof their businesses by ensuring a stream of informed, educated and prepared employees of the future. The WMG Academy for Young Engineers focuses on a broad base of engineering with specialist attention being given to the areas which are applicable to local employers in the automotive, aerospace and high-value manufacturing sectors in addition to the core subjects of English, Maths, and Science. The academy is helping educate the next generation of engineers, from automotive to aerospace, from designers to technicians. To study at WMG candidates must have an interest in engineering and be interested in creating, doing and designing things. Learners work in a business-led environment very much like any professional engineer, and the purposebuilt learning environment reflects this. There’s no traditional classrooms, instead a range of adaptable professional working spaces, much as you would expect in any business. Students also have the opportunity to use WMG’s facilities at the University of Warwick where they can work alongside academics, undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as businesses such as Jaguar Land Rover
*The National Automotive Innovation Centre will provide a critical mass of research capability combining automotive expertise nationally and internationally. NAIC will be a unique resource, with an environment to foster collaboration, cohesion and cross-fertilisation of knowledge. Academic and industrial R&D teams will work together using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to develop breakthrough designs, technologies and processes. NAIC will address the shortage of skilled R&D staff across the automotive supply chain, developing the talent required for the demands of emerging technologies and engaging future generations of engineers. £150 million is being invested in the NAIC capital building and its research activities through a long-term commitment between Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors European Technical Centre, WMG and the University of Warwick, along with an expanding network of supplier companies. The government (Higher Education Funding Council England) has also provided £15 million of funding to support the capital project. NAIC will enhance the UK's capacity and capability in key areas of automotive research including: Smart and Connected Vehicles Immersive Simulated Environments Advanced Propulsion Systems and Tata Motors. With the development of the new National Automotive Innovation Campus* at the University, there will be increasing opportunities to access these facilities. Within the school there will also be provision for working space for industry partners who will be participating in projects and mentoring. The aim is to encourage students, teachers and businesses to freely interact and cooperate in a flexible, non-prescriptive, business-like manner.
SPRING - SUMMER 2015
F E AT U R E : T H E R OYA L A C A D E M Y O F E N G I N E E R I N G
The Universe of Engineering The engineering profession has undergone profound changes over the past 15 years. It is now making an even greater contribution to the economy and society than could have been anticipated, according to The Universe of Engineering report published last year by Engineering the Future, an alliance of leading engineering organisations. While ten percent of the UK population self-declare themselves as engineers in the Annual Population Survey, analysis of this data suggests that there are a further 1.6m people with engineering qualifications using their knowledge and skills in the wider economy. Current statistical methods are unable to measure the impact engineering has in boosting these sectors, according to the report. “Engineering is no longer just about hard hats and hi-visibility vests, yet the way it is portrayed in society and seen by policymakers has not kept up with this evolution”. The report shows how engineering skills are now needed in an increasingly diverse range of fields including brain imaging, airport security, drug delivery systems, materials science and prosthetic limbs. In its ‘call to action,’ The Universe of Engineering urges the professional engineering institutions (PEIs) to adapt so that they better represent and develop engineers involved in such exciting and rapidly developing fields, and use this as a
springboard to attract more people into the profession. As stated in the report, the UK is facing an unprecedented skills crisis. EngineeringUK analysis of UKCES predictions of economic growth show engineering employers will need to recruit 1.82 million people with engineering skills by 2022. This is equivalent to 182,000 engineers per year and will require a step change in the effort to attract young people into the engineering sector. It must start with coordinated, inspiring messaging to the public that truly captures the real nature and breadth of engineering in the 21st century. Dame Sue Ion DBE FREng, Chair of the working group that produced the report, says: “As engineers underpin an increasing number of different parts of the economy and society, the engineering community and professional engineering institutions must adapt to represent and support those in both traditional and nontraditional engineering roles. “The engineering profession now has a critical opportunity to identify and put into place a framework for the new model of engineering, with its increasing interdisciplinary and pervasive reach.”
The report makes eight key recommendations to PEIs and policymakers to maintain excellence in the profession:
● develop a dynamic set of images and messaging to inspire and excite; ● cast the net wider in terms of bringing people into the profession and developing them at all levels from apprentice to chartered; ● work with Government to develop employment statistics and measures of economic activity that reflect more properly the role of engineering; ● work with Government to drive improvement in careers guidance; ● improve opportunities in engineering for women and those from underrepresented social and ethnic groups; ● professional engineering institutions (PEIs) should prepare for the impending increases in apprenticeships and vocational training routes into engineering by providing opportunities for registration and progression; ● PEIs should work with the FE and HE sectors to ensure that industrially experienced engineers provide contextualised learning; ● Government departments should recognise the value that can be gained from greater use of the independent engineering advice from the professional engineering community. As a major employer, Government should also lead by example in ensuring the engineers it employs are registered.
Tomorrow's Engineers is a programme of co-ordinated schools outreach and careers inspiration, led by the engineering community.
Tomorrow’s Engineers seeks to create the next generation of engineers by helping young people from all backgrounds understand the variety, excitement and opportunity presented by a career in engineering. The aim is for everyone between 11 and 14 to have at least one engineering experience with an employer and for equal number of girls and boys to aspire to become engineers. The Tomorrow’s Engineers national network brings together companies of all sizes committed to improving the reach and impact of schools outreach as part of a coordinated programme. Supported locally by the Tomorrow’s Engineers team, these companies actively engage with schools, helping pupils make the connection between their maths and science schoolwork and engineering careers.
http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/
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OUTPUT Magazine talks to Richard Soper, CBE Worcester, Bosch Group Career journey and industry background My career in the heating and hot water industry began in the late 1960s when I joined West Midlands Gas (part of British Gas) and completed my apprenticeship there as a gas fitter. This early training and comprehensive practical experience gave me an invaluable insight into the industry and has been the backbone of my professional career ever since. With the foundations of my career in place, I then left British Gas to join Delglo Appliances, which was part of the Delta Group, as a salesman. At Delglo, I was lucky enough to spend time working on the development of one of the first ever combination boilers in the UK, which was launched in the early 1970s. When Cecil Duckworth of Worcester Engineering, as it was known then, purchased Delglo Appliances in 1977, I stayed there until 1984 as national sales and marketing manager. I then move into export sales at Pegler as Marketing Director.
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I returned to Worcester Heat Systems as Sales and Marketing Director in 1993 and became Managing Director of Bosch Themotechnology Ltd., which incorporates both the Worcester and Bosch Commercial and Industrial brands in 2001 before taking on the role of CEO in 2011. In the meantime, I also ran the Wall Boiler business unit throughout the world encompassing eight manufacturing plants, with worldwide responsibility for wall mounted boilers. In 2012, I became the Regional President TT for Robert Bosch LLC’s North American Division, while still retaining my CEO position in the UK, which led me and my wife, Sandy, to relocate to Boston, Massachusetts (Londonderry NH).” Since the early nineties, I have dedicated as much time as possible to supporting the heating industry as a whole - having been heavily involved with the SBGI (now known as the EUA), not to mention being a past President of the CIPHE (1995) and an active member of the CPA. I was also particularly proud to be presented with the prestigious ‘Champions Award’ at the British Renewable Energy Association (REA) Awards in 2008, which I accepted on behalf of the entire Worcester team for the role we played in the advancement of
Richard Soper
renewable technologies around that time. In June 2012, I was also honoured to be awarded a CBE for services to the heating and renewable technologies industries, which is one of the proudest moments of my career.
Worcester, Bosch Group apprenticeship programme Worcester has been running apprenticeship schemes for many years now with support from all levels to recruit and train exceptional customer focused young people. Running such programmes is extremely important to our business. We currently have just over 40 apprentices across the organisation, ranging from service engineers, sales and commercial apprentices through to a variety of more traditional engineering apprentices. Testament to how important this is to us is the fact that many people now occupying senior positions entered the business following the completion of hands on apprenticeships at the start of their careers. Over the years, of those recruited and trained under our apprenticeship schemes, more than 80 percent are still
SPRING - SUMMER 2015 employed by the company today, which is a great track record to have. As such, these colleagues have an inherent understanding of the business and are dedicated to delivering the best customer experiences possible.
opportunities available not only within Worcester, Bosch Group but the wider heating and hot water industry too.
Setting the industry standard for expert professional training
Links with colleges and universities
Worcester has always invested heavily in training and providing technical support for installers in order to ensure that the
Worcester has links with well over 130 colleges, private training providers and Universities in the UK, which is important for the development of the next generation of installers. This is not something new for our business. We have been building relationships with a network of training facilities, lecturers and students for over 20 years now. The colleges we have established partnerships with are all listed on our website, in order to help promote their courses. We also have very close links with several Universities, including Worcester University, which is vital for bringing good people into the business and for the wider communication of the
tradesmen who choose to fit our products understand how they work as well as we do. As a result, we have established a reputation for training excellence over the years with a focus on delivering ‘the total training experience’ for installers under the leadership of Martyn Bridges, director of marketing and technical support.
Worcester, Bosch Groups headquarters
As well as enabling Worcester to build and open a number of state-of the-art ‘academies’ around the UK that are expertly run by a team of professional trainers, continued investment has also resulted in Worcester having a number of
mobile vehicles on the road, delivering training to tradesmen who are keen to learn but too busy to attend one of our main facilities. In addition to this, we have also led the way in the development of online and remote training courses and installers can now log on to the Worcester website to complete a distance learning programme.
Worcester, Bosch Group’s training academies On average, Worcester trains over 18,000 installers in the UK and Ireland each year and we continue to work closely with installers to deliver quality installations Investing in training facilities to help upskill and provide technical support for trade customers is a continual process for the business, which has resulted in the network of ‘academies’ we have around the country today. Most recently, we invested around £1.5m in the development of a new state-of-the-art training academy at our head office in Warndon.
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Each course run there is delivered by a team of highly specialised trainers offering a combination of classroom theory and practical hands-on experience. The facility is also equipped with the latest state-ofthe-art wireless presentation technology and high specification audio visual equipment in its fully air-conditioned meeting rooms, board room and lecture theatre areas. Beyond this site, we have a network of regional training centres located strategically around the country. These include Clay Cross in Derbyshire, West Thurrock in Essex, Belfast in Northern Ireland and Bradford in the north east of England. The regional training centres also have dedicated trainers in residence and provide bases for some of Worcester’s mobile trainers. While Worcester is committed to making training more accessible through purpose built centres around the country, our fleet of mobile training vehicles is dedicated to covering the whole of the UK. Including operational boilers and other heating and hot water technologies, these vehicles provide a comfortable environment for installer training.
Tackling the skills shortage gap In recent years the image of apprenticeships has had a tough time and, as a result of a combination of factors, this career path has been presented as something of a ‘second class’ option in comparison to going to University. The information 22 technology boom that happened
in the 1980s and early nineties is one example of this shift. As school leavers were directed toward IT and software development degrees this resulted in a loss of focus on practical careers, which impacted upon the plumbing industry. The good news is that this view has changed dramatically thanks to support from all areas, including Government,
An installer is guided through ECGA operation on a training course
colleges, trade associations and qualified installers who are themselves keen to recruit newly qualified people to join and help build their businesses. As a result, apprenticeships are now gathering pace and Worcester is very much a part of that with our support team working with schools, colleges and Universities. We are particularly
Worcester, Bosch Group’s Training Centre at Wakefield
SPRING - SUMMER 2015 supporting initiatives around work placements for school pupils and University students to help ensure young people are prepared for the world of work. This is a vital link in ensuring strong connections between the education and business communities to support the focus in STEM subjects. I have been very lucky throughout my career in that I have had the opportunity to travel widely to countries experiencing similar issues to ours and similar changes towards closing the skills gap. Having lived in the USA for the past four years but soon to return to the UK there are a lot of things I have learnt from colleges and apprentices in America that can be evaluated and applied here at home to promote apprenticeships as an exciting career that can make people a very good living. Encouraging fresh talent into the industry is something I’m personally very passionate about. When I retire from Worcester, Bosch Group this June, I will be supporting the CIPHE and their team of professionals to continue to identify ways of promoting careers in the heating
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and hot water industry, with the aim of encouraging more young people to get involved.
Producing a new generation of innovative and talented engineers There is a general problem regarding the perceived image of engineering. A lot of young people immediately think of someone in a set of overalls, covered in oil with a spanner in their hand! We have a responsibility to sell engineering as a career to our young people. Many engineering and manufacturing businesses are very high tech, with amazing futuristic facilities. The image of
dirty, dark factories is no longer relevant – our factory at Worcester is clean, bright and high tech. The same goes for the heating and plumbing industry. We need to improve the perception of heating and plumbing engineering as a career in order to develop a new generation of talented young engineers. This is in the hands of people already working within the industry whose influence and support is needed. In my view, the way forward has to be bringing like-minded people together from all trades and areas of the industry together and having one goal. Manufacturers too have an important role to play in this, driving the need for a good quality installation, commissioning and servicing of a heating and cooling hot water system. What else needs to be put in place is a pride and passion in the industry to take one more step toward supporting young and newly trained people moving into an exciting career. At the end of the day, homeowners always want comfort with safety and encouraging professionalism in our industry is absolutely central to achieving that.
new members compensation, demand control or sequencing. The boilers’ designed set points are never altered.
Sabien Technology Plc has joined ICOM and is a provider of optimisation controls for commercial boilers and direct fired hot water heaters. The company is based in the UK and listed on the AIM Market, London Stock Exchange. It has distribution channels in the USA, Australia, Asia and Europe. The company has two patented products; the M2G intelligent boiler load optimiser and the M1G optimisation controller for direct fired water heaters. Sabien was one of the first UK retrofit heating controls companies to achieve certification for staff to the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). The Sabien Technology Board of Directors is chaired by Miriam Maes, who has many years’ experience of managing companies in the energy sector and is currently CEO of Foresee,
the climate change consulting company. Nonexecutive directors include Dr Martin Blake, who formerly led the Social Responsibility and Sustainability Teams at Royal Mail.
Intelligent boiler load optimisation
The M2G is designed to prevent boiler dry cycling and is the only retrofitted control which is able to determine the actual heating demand on the boiler and prevent it from dry cycling without lowering the system temperature or using a fixed time delay. M2G uses flow and return temperature sensors to monitor, analyse and control the flow and return temperatures of the boiler in real time. It recalculates the values every time the boiler reaches its required set point temperature. This means it adapts to BMS/optimiser variable setpoints and does nothing to conflict with other existing controls such as weather
The energy savings delivered by M2G have been validated by the US Department of Energy, as well as a number of FM service providers and end users. These include Interserve, Cofely, Vinci Facilities, EDF Energy, Schneider Electric, Babcock, Carillion, John Laing, G4S, Serco, Jones Lang LaSalle, BT, Aviva, Royal Mail, Defra, CLG and the MoD.
Short cycling in direct fired water heaters
Sabien’s other product is the M1G, which is designed to prevent short cycling in direct fired water heaters, caused by standing heat losses. It operates on the principle that a genuine call for hot water from the building will result in a rapid decline in the temperature of the stored water, whereas a gradual decline in temperature will be a result of standing losses. This enables M1G’s software and algorithms to differentiate between the two and control firing accordingly, without compromising the pasteurisation regime.
www.sabien-tech.co.uk 23
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new members KD Navien have now moved into the UK and are pleased to join with the other major manufacturers as members of HHIC. KD Navien is working hard to become ‘a global living environment company’ that benefits customers around the world as a leader in Home Comfort Systems. With a head office and manufacturering bases around Seoul in the Republic of South Korea, KD Navien have a full range of technologies from combination boilers and instantaneous condensing water heaters to Stirling and fuel cell mCHP. KD Navien are market leaders in their home market of Korea, the second largest boiler market in the world. Where KD Navien maintain a market share of over 40%, a position they have held for over 20 years. KD Navien is currently within the top five manufacturers worldwide in both production and sales with success in most major markets such as Russia and North America in both of which they are the market leader. The most recent success has been in the North American
market where KD Navien launched in 2009. Navien US is the leader in Condensing tankless water heater and combination boiler products. Other Important markets are China where KD Navien have a separate factory and Canada. In all markets the brand is built on a foundation of exceptional customer service combined with a value for money offering. These are the defining principles which will be adhered to in both the UK and Europe. The project to launch in the European market under the Navien brand is as a result of a three year feasibility study which included market and product management research enabling KD Navien to develop a pipeline of products targeted at the UK and European consumer for the future. The project also included the building of a new factory on the outskirts of Seoul. This factory alone has the capability to produce 1.6m units per year. The UK has been selected as the area to launch the project due to the size and scope of the
current market which is by far the most complex in Europe. Navien UK currently consists of a European head office based in Chertsey with a Service and call centre based in Sheffield. The activity will initially be on a regional basis to enable organic growth of the service and sales divisions. For further information on Navien UK please contact Graham Parkes Sales and Marketing Director at Graham.parkes@navienuk.com
www.navien.com
output modulating condensing boilers – its ARES Tec range.
Alpha Heating Innovation is pleased to announce that it has recently joined the Industrial and Commercial Energy Association (ICOM). As part of the Immergas group, Alpha has been manufacturing boilers for the UK market for nearly 50 years and offers a wide range of both residential and commercial systems. Innovation is central to everything that Alpha does from the boilers and products it produces to the services it provides, with an ultimate aim of being able to meet any project’s long-term requirements whether large or small. Alongside this, the company also believes in putting both the end customer and installer first by ensuring that the products they develop meet the exacting needs of both. This, combined with boilers and low carbon products that feature only the best quality components and generous all-inclusive guarantees, gives Alpha’s customers complete confidence in its offering.
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With this, for commercial installations, Alpha offers a range of flexible heating solutions specifically designed for larger output requirements. These include high output system boilers – its ProTec range and high
The ProTec range is the new addition to Alpha Heating Innovation’s light commercial offering. The fan-assisted condensing boilers are available in four models ranging from 50kw to 115kw. For projects with even higher load requirements and using the latest range of accessories the system has the capability of achieving a maximum output of over 500kW by cascading up to five boilers. The ARES Tec range comprises nine boilers covering outputs from 200-900kW and incorporates selfcontained modules to provide a greater transfer of heat. Each has its own down-firing pre-mix burner, fan, ignition and safety controls to assist in the changing demands of buildings such as hotels, leisure centres, apartment blocks, hospitals and nursing homes. Alpha also recognises the importance of training. It’s not just about introducing the right products into the market; it’s also key that those
installing them truly understand their benefits, how they work and how they should be correctly installed. As such, Alpha offers full hands on training on all its commercial products along with providing support to customers throughout projects to ensure a new system is specified and installed to maximise its performance and efficiency. For more information on Alpha Heating Innovation,
www.alpha-innovation.co.uk.
SPRING - SUMMER 2015
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ACV UK Ltd Advance Appliances Altecnic Ltd Ariston Thermo Group Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd Cotherm Ltd Danfoss Dimplex UK Limited
Gledhill Building Products Ltd Heatrae Sadia Heatrod Elements Limited Honeywell, ACS Control Products Joule UK Ltd Kingspan Hot Water Storage Mannley Cylinders Ltd McDonald Engineers
Newark Copper Cylinders Co Ltd OSO Hotwater (UK) Ltd Reliance Water Controls Ltd RM Cylinders Telford Copper Cylinders Ltd Vaillant Group UK Ltd Viessmann Ltd World Heat Ltd
A O Smith Water Products Company BV ACV UK Ltd Adey Professional Heating Solutions Alpha Heating Innovation AmbiRad Ltd Babcock Wanson UK Ltd
Bosch Thermotechnology UK Ltd Calor Gas Ltd Cochran Ltd Ecoflam UK Energy Technology & Control Ltd EOGB Energy Products Ltd Ferroli Ltd G P Burners (CIB) Ltd Gas Fired Products Ltd GP Burners (CIB) Ltd Hamworthy Heating Ltd
Hoval Ltd Ideal Boilers Ltd Johnson & Starley Ltd Lochinvar Ltd MHS Boilers Ltd Mikrofill Systems Ltd Nu-way (Enertech Ltd) Potterton Commercial Powrmatic Limited Remeha Commercial Riello Ltd
Rinnai UK Ltd Roberts Gordon Europe Ltd Sabien Technology Ltd Schwank Ltd Sentinel Performance Solutions Ltd Stokvis Industrial Boilers (International) Ltd Strebel Ltd Vaillant Group UK Ltd Viessmann Ltd Weishaupt (UK) Ltd
A.C.Wilgar Ltd Adey Professional Heating Solutions Alpha Therm Ltd Altecnic Ltd Anton Industrial Services Ariston Thermo UK Ltd Atag Heating Ltd Atmos Heating Systems Baxi Be Modern Group BEAMA Heating Controls BEAMA Water Treatment BFM Europe Limited Biasi UK Ltd Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd Bowbros Ltd British Gas
Burley Appliances Ltd Calor Gas Ltd Carillion Energy Services Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd Charlton & Jenrick Ltd Crosslee plc Crystal Fires Limited Daikin Airconditioning UK Ltd Danfoss Ltd Delta Energy & Environment Ltd Domestic & General Group plc Ecuity Consulting LLP EDF Energy Encore Energy Enertek International Ltd Fabdec Ltd Fernox Ferroli Limited Flowgroup plc Fondital Helpline UK Gas Contract Services Ltd Giona UK Glowarm Central Heating Ltd Grafton Merchanting GB
Graham Group Ltd Ground Source Heat Pump Association Grundfos Pumps A/S Harvey Water Softeners Ltd HETAS Ltd Honeywell, ACS Control Products Ideal Heating Ltd IE-CHP (UK Eire) Ltd Inspirit Energy Holdings plc InstaGroup Ltd Intergas Heating Ltd Johnson & Starley Limited Kamco Ltd Kane International Ltd KD Navien Ltd Kiwa GASTEC at CRE Ltd Lettergold Water Treatment Solutions LLP Logic Certification Magic Thermodynamic box Monarch Water Morgan Lambert Ltd NAPIT NIBE Energy Systems Nirvana Energy Systems Inc
Nu-Flame OFTEC Pektron plc Pump House Pumps Rangemaster Ravenheat Rinnai UK Ltd Sentinel Performance Solutions Ltd Sime Ltd Solar Trade Association Spirotech UK Ltd Sunamp Ltd Sustainable Energy Association Teddington Appliance Controls Ltd The Electric Heating Company Ltd Thermoserv Ltd Travis Perkins Group UKLPG Vaillant Group Ltd Valor Viessmann Ltd Vokera Limited Widney Leisure Ltd Wolseley UK Ltd
Ideal Stelrad Ltd Kudox Ltd
Myson Radiators Quinn Radiators
Zehnder Group UK Ltd
Develop Training Ltd DI UK Ltd DNV GL E.on Gas Storage UK Ltd EDF Energy (Gas Storage Hole House) Ltd EDF Energy Customer Field Services EDMI Europe Ltd ElectraLink Ltd Electricity Solutions Ltd Elexon Elgin Elster Energy Assets Ltd Engage Consulting Enzen Fastflow Group Ltd Ferranti Computer Systems NV Fiorentini UK Limited Fulcrum Fusion Group Ltd Fusion Provida Ltd Future Energy Group
G4S Utility & Outsourcing Services (UK) Ltd Gas Measurement Instruments Ltd. Gateway Storage Company Ltd Generis George Fischer Sales Limited George Wilson Industries Limited GPS PE Pipe Systems GTC Halite Energy Group Harlaxton Engineering Services Ltd HP Humbly Grove Energy Ltd INEOS Enterprises Ltd Islandmagee Storage Ltd Itron Metering Solutions UK Ltd J Murphy & Sons Limited King Street Energy Landis+Gyr Lightsout Computer Services Ltd Lomax Training Services Lowri Beck Services Ltd LSC Group Ltd Meter Provida Ltd
Mike Stratton & Associates Ltd Morland Utilities Ltd Morrison Utility Services National Grid plc Northern Gas Networks Ltd P N Daly Ltd PLCS Limited Power Plus Communications AG Providor Ltd Radius Systems Ltd Sarco Stopper Ltd ScottishPower Secure Meters (UK) Ltd Sensus UK Siemens Silver Spring Networks UK & Ireland Skanska UK (Utilities) SSE Hornsea Ltd Statoil (UK) Ltd Storengy UK Ltd Tuffentech Services Ltd Utility Innovations Solutions Ltd Wales & West Utilities Ltd WRc plc
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Amec Foster Wheeler Amey AVK UK Limited Balfour Beatty Burdens Utilities Bureau Veritas Buss Metering Services Ltd ByBox Calvin Capital Ltd Capita Carillion Utility Services Centrica Storage Ltd Cerro EMS CEVA Logistics Limited Clancy Docwra Limited CNG Services Ltd Co-operative Energy Crane Building Services & Utilities
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Towards Enduring Roll-Out of SMART Energy Meters
........................................ 10 September 2015 Heart of England Conference Centre, Fillongley, Warwickshire
This leading supply chain-focused event in the metering calendar will feature: ● leading industry experts ● post-election policy and programme update ● latest on testing of critical communications and data management systems ● how the supply chain is mobilising to deliver from design, through manufacture, installation and meter recycling ● supply chain exhibition
....................................... Cost: EUA members: £250 (+ VAT) Non-members: £340 (+ VAT)
Book online at http://www.eua.org.uk/utility-metering-2015
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