To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we recently opened the doors of our Training Centres and invited our customers to bring their apprentices in for bespoke, hands-on sessions across our commercial and residential HVAC product ranges.
We posted subsequently on LinkedIn about the apprentices that came in and, having met and talked to the cohort that joined us in our Hatfield training suite, I have to say, I think it’s encouraging that we have some brilliant, questioning minds joining our industry.
My colleagues at our Manchester training centre reported similar levels of enthusiasm and interest in the extensive range of HVAC products that they can chose to work with.
Investing in apprentices isn’t optional… it’s essential
Ben Bartle-Ross Technical trainer at Mitsubishi Electric
A real hands-on experience
The ones visiting our Hatfield site were all from Whithead Building Services, with air conditioning engineer Lewys Willacott explaining: “When I started, I didn’t know how much kit there was to do with HVAC and didn’t realise air conditioning was so heavily used in the UK .”
Hi colleague Emma Parslow, an M&E apprentice was delighted to get in front of live equipment saying: “I think it’s super important to have hands on because there’s only so much you can be taught in a classroom setting.”
In addition to seeing and touching the actual heat pump and air conditioning equipment, both groups were particularly enthused by the VR headsets that we’ve developed as part of our training programme.
This helps us take engineers through all different types of products, including large chiller, air handling units and commercial heat pump systems that we can’t physically get into the training rooms.
The VR system not only speaks to Generation Z in a language they readily understand, it also allows us to explore health and safety in a much more engaging way. It’s worth remembering that electrical HVAC systems can be dangerous unless proper procedures are in place. They also contain refrigerants that need careful handling.
Using VR, we can show engineers how to fix otherwise dangerous pitfalls in a way that no lecture or PowerPoint presentation can fully convey.
Addressing the skills gap
We know we have a skills gap within our industry, so National Apprenticeship Week is an important part of addressing how we fulfil that skills gap in our industry.
I see this as the perfect answer. If we can’t find the right engineers, then we need to help create that type of engineers and apprenticeship will play a really important role.
Cole Caviell, Senior Project Manager at Whithead also focused on the bonus from an apprenticeship: “You gain a lot more than you do from university. When you go down the apprenticeship route, you get a lot of hands-on training, you learn a lot more, plus, it’s also the monetary side of things but putting the money aside, you’re learning and you’re not lectured to death like you would be at university.”
A real opportunity
Mechanical Project Manager for Whitehead Building Services, Gareth Thomas, was full of praise for the event and recommended training with Mitsubishi Electric: “I think it’s really beneficial. I don’t think they get that anywhere else, I think it’s super important for them for their learning and development.”
For me, this highlights that the skills gap in our industry isn’t just a challenge, it actually is one of our biggest opportunities.
What was most encouraging was hearing the questions and discussions that emerged form the event. The apprentices went from amazement at the size and scope of the HVAC industry to asking how they could get more involved.
As our sector continues to evolve with new technology, low carbon systems and increasing demand for energy efficient buildings, the need for skilled engineers has never been greater.
That’s why investing in apprentices isn’t optional… it’s essential.
Ben Bartle-Ross is a technical trainer at Mitsubishi Electric
