Our Gas Trainees Need You - Viva Training Academy

We run a new entrants course for would-be gas engineers, a Managed Learning Programme (MLP) certified by LCL Awards. We’re looking for local heating businesses in North Yorkshire to provide our MLP students with work placements for a couple of months at a time, after their seven weeks initial in-house training.

This eight-week ‘real world’ experience forms an important part of our trainees’ course, essential for building their portfolio, which is assessed as part of the final qualification.

What you’ll gain

Most of our trainees are mature self-starters falling within an age range of twenty to early forties. Often they come to us with a practical working background in related trades. Others are opting for a completely new career. Whatever their background, they are all motivated and keen to learn.

Before they start work at to your business they will have spent seven-weeks in our purpose-built centre, covering both theory and practical learning, including combustion, ventilation, fluing and chimneys. By the time we let them on site, they’re ready to hit the ground running so can prove a really useful asset.

You won’t be expected to pay the trainees and they understand they need to make themselves useful! Often, on attaining their final qualification, Viva candidates are employed by the companies they’ve been working with. If you’re looking for new staff, it’s an opportunity to ‘try before you buy’.

What they gain

By giving one of our trainees a placement, you will become their mentor, helping them gain the confidence and experience they’ll need to work in the real world.

On successful completion of the MLP they will have gained their ACS and meet the requirements to become Gas Safe Registered.

A bit about us

Viva Training was set up in 2019 by Richard Firth who has run his own successful heating and insulation business for a number or years. He set up the centre because he could see that the people he was employing often arrived, newly qualified, but with little practical experience and he wanted to change things for the better.

“Viva Training Academy has been put together from the learners’ point-of-view,” explains Richard. “Our trainers are experienced engineers so we understand the current marketplace and pay close attention to trends and developments in the sector.”

Viva prides itself on providing a supportive and learner-focused environment delivering a highly successful MLP led by experienced trainers all of whom come from the trade – ex British Gas Engineers, Baxi installers or teachers who have previously worked at the British Gas Training Academy.

The course structure ensures that ahead of their placements all the trainees have covered:

  • Tightness testing
  • Copper pipe installation
  • Bending & soldering
  • Gas rating
  • Flue flow testing
  • Spillage testing & combustion analysis

What have you got to lose?

Offering a work-experience placement to one of our trainees could really benefit your company. You’ll have a useful pair of hands – for free – plus the opportunity to trial potential future employees. Besides, wouldn’t it be good to give something back?

If you’re in a position to offer our learners work experience, please get in touch and we’ll see how we can help each other in training up the next generation of heating engineers.

For more information about our Gas MLP for new entrants, click here.

 

Related Articles