A new series of BESA accredited courses for ventilation hygiene will be delivered at Swiftclean Building Services’ head office training facility in Southend.

Compliance House will be one of few Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) accredited training centres in the UK offering training in Ventilation and Grease Hygiene. These offer training in cleaning in accordance with TR/19, the leading industry guideline on ventilation ductwork hygiene. Each course, for operatives or supervisors/technicians, comprises both practical and theoretical training and final assessment for certification, replacing the former BESA Green Book Scheme.

Essex-based Swiftclean has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry and an award-winning track record, making the company an ideal choice of host for these new qualifications.  Managing director, Gary Nicholls, was also one of the co-authors of TR/19 and is often called as an expert witness in legal proceedings involving ventilation ductwork issues.  

Courses in TR/19 Ventilation Hygiene and Grease Hygiene for operatives and supervisors/technicians will run over three days, with a maximum class size of eight people. Swiftclean will offer all four ventilation-related BESA accredited courses:

• Ventilation Hygiene Operative (VHO)
• Ventilation Hygiene Technician (VHT)
• Grease Hygiene Operative (GHO)
• Grease Hygiene Technician (GHT) 

These will be hosted in the newly refurbished training facility at Compliance House, complete with ventilation ductwork for practical learning. Courses will cost around £600 per person and offer full training in both the theory and practice of ventilation and grease extract cleaning. At the end of each course, those who pass an assessment can apply for certification from BESA to demonstrate competency in the industry guideline TR/19. 

Mr Nicholls commented: “We are delighted to see such tangible results from our work with partners across the industry.” He continued: “The BESA courses, together with BESA’s Trailblazer Apprenticeships, will help to ensure that ventilation hygiene standards are raised and maintained across the UK for the future. The courses in ventilation and grease extract cleaning will enable operatives and supervisors to achieve TR/19 compliance for their clients. BESA are working with their SKILLS card arm and operators of the CSCS scheme with a view to achieving full ventilation hygiene trade recognition very soon. Ultimately, the BESA training course will make ventilation hygiene safer and more attainable for users and customers, improving and maintaining standards of TR/19 compliance across the country.”