Ideal Heating and DCG Team Up To Address Installation Skills Gaps

Leading boiler and heat pump manufacturers Ideal Heating have teamed up with Derby College Group (DCG) to launch its first multi-faceted training facility that will support and upskill current and future installers.

Ideal Heating, part of Groupe Atlantic, has been providing central heating boilers to the domestic as well as heating solutions to commercial markets since 1906 and the DCG training suite is their first partnership with a UK college to include their full range of equipment including high-efficiency boilers and air source heat pumps.

The training suite has been developed at DCG’s Roundhouse technical and professional skills college in Derby’s Pride Park where Ideal Heating’s team will deliver expert training themselves and also share their knowledge with the College’s teaching staff as part of their professional development.

Ideal Heating training director Andrew Johnson explained: “As one of the UK’s leading boiler manufacturers, we have long recognised the importance of training across the industry to ensure that our products are installed correctly for maximum efficiency.

“We are also committed to playing our part in training the installers of the future and raising awareness amongst young people of the career opportunities available to them.

“We chose to open this new training facility for the East Midlands at DCG because of their amazing facilities and easy access by road and rail.

“We look forward to developing the relationship over the coming months – welcoming installers into the facility and sharing our expertise with the DCG teaching staff to ensure students and apprentices are work ready for the exciting developments underway in this industry as part of the UK’s decarbonisation agenda and the drive towards Net Zero by 2050.”

DCG’s assistant principal – technology Brian Malyan continued: “Having the latest training equipment installed here at College is beneficial not only to the local and regional companies who are installing Ideal Heating’s equipment in homes and commercial premises but also to our students and apprentices who are the installers of the future.

“As a College, we are committed to working with companies across a wide range of sectors to co-design and co-deliver our curriculum and ensure that our students and apprentices have the skills, behaviours and attitudes they need to successfully enter the world of work.

“Our relationship with Ideal Heating is therefore a win/win for the company, local installers and the College alike.”