Our Solar Thermal course trains students to install, maintain and commission solar thermal systems which use the sun’s rays to provide hot water. At a recent Solar Thermal course in London, we spoke with two students to find out why they took the course and how they’re going to use it in the future.

We first met Valeriy Hnachuk who started training with OLCI two years ago on our Become a Gas Engineer course. He then set up his own business, Future Heating Gas and Plumbing Services, as he wanted to be independent and achieve something for himself and his future.

He took the Solar Thermal course because he believes it’s the future and people are moving over to it. In fact, he already has a customer who wants solar panels installed! Valeriy thinks it will be big business – not just in the UK, but overseas. The advertising of Future Heating will now be including ‘Solar Panel Installation’ as opposed to ‘Fixing Leaking Pipes’!

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We offer a range of courses focusing on renewable energy at selected centres. Here we take an indepth look at how they work and what you could be doing after qualifying:

Domestic Heat Pump Installer (Air & Ground Source)
Heat can be created by drawing in air from outside, or tapping into the heat that lays dormant underground. These sources can then be used to contribute to the buildings’ heating and hot water requirements.

Upon successful completion you can propose,survey, design and install domestic or small commercial heat pump installations, enlisting the manufacturers’ support where required.

Solar Thermal Domestic Hot Water
The sun is an abundant source of renewable energy we can tap into, even in our often cloudy climate. Solar panels generate hot water for the home, and can make a significant contribution to domestic requirements even during winter. Read more »

OLCI Construction Training, the UK’s only nationwide construction training provider, has teamed up with Greenbuild Property & Maintenance Ltd., a London-based property and maintenance company, to create a unique 4 to 16 week work experience programme for students. The aim is to develop their plumbing,
electrical or gas engineering skills in real-life work settings. The programme operates as a "working interview" and exceptional students can potentially gain full time employment with Greenbuild.

At a time when university graduate unemployment is high*, OLCI, as a construction training provider, has seized the initiative and built this alliance that means their students can gain valuable work skills, written references to help them progress their career, and maybe even a job at the end of it.

Speaking about the scheme, OLCI Student Development Co-ordinator Rosanne Kincaid-Smith, commented: ‘This represents an exciting opportunity for our students – not only can they receive expert training to help them achieve industry recognised qualifications, but successful students can now experience site life with a fast-moving and exciting company.’ Read more »