The centre, made possible with a £900,000 Department for Education grant, includes several ground-source heat pump set-ups for practical demonstrations. The first adult specialist heat pump course is expected to run during February 2026 half-term.
Patrick Pope, renewable product manager for heat pump suppliers Alpha Innovation, demonstrating Alpha products at the Sustainable Construction Centre launch earlier this year, worked for 20 years as a gas engineer. “Three years ago I got the bug,” Pope said. “I could see where the market was going and how much money the Government are putting into training and setting up great facilities.
“I’m a big advocate for training for air source heat pumps, getting the knowledge out there of how these systems work, which properties they work at… You see it looks very complicated, like a Starship Enterprise cylinder. But when you strip it back it’s such a basic cylinder which a lot of gas engineers are used to. It’s getting over that scaremongering”.
WCG student Charlie Dorrington originally studied sports at a different college, before he switched track to enrol on a Level 2 Plumbing Diploma as he saw renewables as an industry of the future which he could make a good salary in.
“I wanted to do a trade with not many people doing it, so it was needed,” he said. He found the Level 2 Diploma “a bit of everything”; until starting the course, “you don’t quite understand what you can learn from it”.
“Renewables will do wonders for the community and the economy, and will definitely benefit the environment,” Dorrington said. He has now progressed to a Level 3 Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician apprenticeship at Royal Leamington Spa College, also part of WCG.
Lecturer in Plumbing at Rugby College Aimee Fox said she was “really excited” to get renewables training up and running. “I can see more changing, more females coming into the industry,” she said. “If you’ve got vulnerable customers, like an older lady, they are more comfortable with a lady coming in”.
Last month, the College officially launched its new Electric & Motor Vehicle (EV) Workshop, giving staff and students access to cutting edge EV and hybrid vehicle technologies. Resources include three Mazdas: a fully electric MX-30 and two hybrids, used to help students understand the latest vehicle systems and safety protocols.
Motor Vehicle Course Manager Mike Wakeleigh-Jones, who started as an apprentice studying motor vehicle maintenance at WCG Trident College, said: “It’s a brilliant time to be training in the motor industry. Our new workshop gives students the chance to work hands-on with EV and hybrid technology every day, from learning how to work safely with high-voltage systems to using the latest diagnostic tools”.
Green Careers Week, a national campaign that raises aspiration and celebrates jobs that protect the planet, runs until Saturday 8th October. For more information, click here
