From the CEO

COAL ERA ENDS FOR NHS

The last two coal-fired boilers in the NHS estate have been decommissioned. Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust are installing a £2.7m super-efficient Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit at Goole Hospital. The project will cut carbon emissions by around 1,700 tonnes a year and save £250,000 a year.

CIPHE BACKS COPPER PARTNERSHIP

The Copper Sustainability Partnership (CuSP) has been founded by Lawton Tubes and Mueller Europe in response to the growing demand for sustainability and longevity within the sector. CIPHE CEO Kevin Wellman, said: “This is a conversation the industry needs to have and that’s why we’re supporting this.”

HSE PROSECUTION

A gas engineer has been sentenced after an HSE prosecution for conducting work while unregistered and producing false paperwork. Peter Strudwick completed a commercial gas safety check at a take-away business in 2019. He undertook the work illegally using the Gas Safe registration number from his employer. He has been sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for each offence, suspended for 12 months.

MERGER TALKS END

Ideal Standard has terminated discussions with Villeroy & Boch regarding a potential business combination. “Ideal Standard has strong prospects and will continue to execute its strategy,” the firm said.

Training

Industry leads step up training support

TWO OF THE biggest names in the industry have launched schemes to boost support for trainees.

Baxi and Ideal Standard have begun schemes aimed at getting young people a crucial foothold in the industry to counter the COVID-19 recruitment drop. And the CIPHE is supporting both.

The two fi rms have joined the Kickstart scheme where young people aged 16-24 and on benefi ts get an initial six-month placement. Companies hiring them get a £1,500 grant.

Baxi is starting off its recruits as customer contact centre operatives supporting installers and overseeing aftercare. At the end of their placement, they can then move to opportunities in marketing, IT, sales, engineering and R&D.

Louise Murton, customer service director, said: “Baxi is committed to supporting young people into employment and through this scheme we hope to discover and nurture new talent. This will not only help to address the skills gap and increase workforce diversity but ensure that our valued installers have even more support.”

The scheme uses funding from the government’s Apprenticeship Levy and Ideal Standard will be using a percentage of its share to provide fi nancial support for smaller companies, allowing them to take on an apprentice.

David Barber, Ideal Standard UK MD said: “It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity to lead the way in investing in young talent and apprentices as they begin their careers in the plumbing and heating industry. I hope that other organisations will see the benefi ts of the scheme.”