Lindsay Talks, Product Manager at JTL, runs through the advantages of taking on an apprentice.
To work and succeed within installation means to be adaptable to new advances in the field and the work installers carry out can’t afford to slip behind the technology of today’s age. Because of this, training remains an ongoing process, and historically this has made installer businesses ideally suited to apprenticeships. What may not have been considered, however, is how apprenticeships can help installer businesses to stay ahead of the curve.
Alongside the cost-of-living pressures hitting us all, one of the challenges additionally faced by installers is the drive towards net-zero, and specifically, the phasing out of gas boiler installation by 2035. With around 26 million out of the UK’s 28 million homes currently relying on gas boilers, there is a significant need for installers trained in alternative, low-carbon heating replacements such as heat pumps and hydrogen-based systems. This is just one example of the newer skillsets practitioners in the field need to develop.
So how can taking on an apprentice assist with this? Well, the reality is that apprentices training in the present day will be more acquainted with modern low-carbon systems. Since it is these systems that the industry will soon be dependent upon, recruiting skilled apprentices can actually be a way of future-proofing your business.
Of relevance here is JTL, which offers the Level 3 Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician Apprenticeship. This all-encompassing four-year course gives apprentices the necessary fundamental plumbing skills as well as the opportunity to specialise in one of four pathways. The Environmental Technologies pathway provides bespoke training on solar thermal, heat pumps and water recycling systems.
Dedicated support
Financial incentives are also available to employers to encourage them to take on an apprentice and supply the necessary on-the-job training. For companies like JTL, training includes much more than course material – it means a dedicated training officer to work with the employer and apprentice, a free toolkit for the apprentice and a precise recruitment process that matches the right apprentice with the right employer.
A JTL apprentice’s experience is defined by the support of their dedicated training officer, and those officers remain on hand to manage apprentices’ performance throughout their time with their employers. It’s this refined model from JTL that enables apprenticeships to be as smooth as possible for employers, granting them the time to focus on how best to use their apprentices in the response to the ever-changing demands the industry calls for.
jtltraining.com/apprenticeships/employers
