The training facility is the result of a £500,000 investment and demonstrates the company’s commitment to training to ensure professional tradesmen have the knowledge and skills to successfully implement the sustainable building agenda.
The academy offers a multi-purpose training space with products and solutions in real-life settings. Demonstration areas include room sets for wet and dry work, a dedicated low level roofing rig, a training set for the commissioning of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, an elevated pit drainage and rainwater harvesting systems as well as a replica sales counter area. In addition, the facility has two inter-connecting training rooms with full IT and internet access.
The lay-out of the comprehensive 15,000sq ft academy has been specifically designed to offer a solutions approach to installations and courses can incorporate real working drawings and estimating where appropriate. The open plan space allows a total of 60 delegates to be trained at the same time.
"From the way we build and refurbish our housing stock to the uptake of renewable technologies - training and skills development is needed to support the delivery of the sustainable building agenda," commented Peter Hindle MBE Chief Executive of Saint-Gobain Building Distribution. "The significant investment in the Greenworks Training Academy is a clear demonstration of the importance of training in these key areas to our staff, suppliers and customers. We are committed to creating a more sustainable built environment and the Greenworks Academy will remain at the very heart of this."
Commenting at the launch, Guest Speaker Neil Jefferson, Chief Executive Zero Carbon Hub, said: “For the transition towards low and zero carbon buildings and homes to work, it’s even more important that we tackle the skills issue right now and don’t leave it until the products and materials are delivered to site. And with initiatives such as this facility, I feel more encouraged that we are taking the right steps. By training people to do installations on existing homes, this facility is making a massive contribution to helping us achieve our aims.”
Courses at the new Greenworks Training Academy will be scheduled in-line with customer demand and changes to legislation, product and market drivers and will be carried out by specialist training companies and manufacturers. Already over 200 staff and customers have attended training courses at the academy. Based in Birmingham with excellent transport links, the academy is easy to access to ensure customers can receive training on the latest technology quickly and effectively as and when they reach the market place.
To complement the practical and hands-on training at the academy, the new Greenworks Learning Gateway will also provide an opportunity for Jewson, Graham, Minster and Pasquill customers to access e-learning modules on a range of sustainable products and solutions, renewable technologies, market drivers and legislation updates. This additional service will offer another valuable means of education and training for the marketplace.
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