APHC (Training) carries out the reward scheme every year to help safeguard the long-term professional development of the industry by incentivising plumbing and heating engineers to refresh their knowledge and gain new skills.

The £150 reward can be used for a certificated course with a recognised training provider such as APHC, BPEC, City & Guilds and all UKAS-approved ACS providers.

One challenge in particular for many businesses has been the ability to access training and assessment in a safe, COVID-secure environment in order to meet ongoing business or competence needs. To meet this head on, APHC has worked closely with BPEC to ensure that we are able to deliver training and assessment remotely.

Using Microsoft Teams, delegates can log on using a PC or laptop and go through the training over two hours per day for up to four days. Upon successful completion of the training course, delegates can then undertake an online assessment using a blend of long answer and multiple-choice questions and visual exercises.

Its 2021 programme of courses include Legionella Cold Water Risk Assessment & Disinfection, Domestic Hot Water Storage Systems (Unvented) and Sanitary and Above Ground Drainage.

Graeme Dryden, deputy chief executive and technical services manager at the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC) commented: “Keeping up-to-date and developing existing skills is important to help ensure you are working compliantly and safely. Our courses can not only help with this, but also help plumbers gain skills to access new markets such as legionella risk assessing.

“The £150 training reward is available to all plumbing and heating companies in England and Wales regardless of whether they are members of APHC. In order to receive the reward companies are required to send a copy of the training course invoice along with the successful course completion certificate to APHC who will then pay for the cost of the course, up to £150, straight into the employer’s business bank account”.