Toby Perkins MP Standing up for Chesterfield and Staveley
The MP for Chesterfield and Shadow Minister for Skills and Further Education Mr Toby Perkins visited NIBE’s newly refurbished Training Academy in the area last week.
Meeting with NIBE’s Managing Director Phil Hurley, discussions were held on the role of heat pumps in decarbonising the economy and the need to upskill the installer base to meet net zero targets. Mr Toby Perkins was also given a tour around our latest heat pump products and smart solutions.
NIBE’s newly refurbished Training Academy was showcased on Friday 13th January to local MP and Shadow Minister of Skills and Further Education Mr Toby Perkins – emphasising the benefits that the centre will provide for increasing the available heat pump installer base in the UK. The visit provided an opportunity to highlight the importance of upskilling the new generation of installers and engineers on the route to net zero – and the drive needed to meet the government’s target of 600,000 heat pump installs per year by 2028.
The Shadow Minister for Skills & Further Education added:
“I was delighted to visit NIBE’s new training academy and very pleased that they have chosen to further invest in Chesterfield. Green investment is vital to the future of our economy and our ability to meet our Net Zero commitments and fight climate change.
The development of new technologies, such as advanced heat pumps, also requires the development of new skills in the workforce. The NIBE training academy will help provide the next generation of skilled engineers in this sector and provide vital new job opportunities locally. I was pleased to discuss Labour’s plans to allow firms to utilise the apprenticeship levy more flexibly to ensure that our country has the green skills required to make a net zero future a reality and am excited that we have, here in Chesterfield, a firm leading the green revolution.
I look forward to watching their progress and hope to come back and meet some of the people who have been trained here in Chesterfield.”
The NIBE Training Academy in Chesterfield is currently taking bookings for best-in-class comprehensive installation, commissioning, and servicing and maintenance courses, alongside the NIBE Pro installer partnership scheme, providing MCS & NAPIT recognised and Ofqual regulated training and technical support. The Training is vital to contribute to the 50,000 UK installers needed by 2030 to reach Government heat pump targets. Mr Toby Perkins showed interest in the role heat pumps will play in the continued decarbonisation of heat in the UK whilst his role as Shadow Minister for Skills and Further Education outlined his passion for upskilling the heat pump installer base to future proof the new generation of engineers.
NIBE’s newest technology was also showcased, including the award-winning S2125 Air Source Heat Pump which produces a low environmental impact whilst operating in temperatures down to -25°C. Mr Toby Perkins also got a chance to see the award-winning heat pump system with PV-T panels, which demonstrates the versatility of NIBE heat pumps by transforming ground source into multi-source systems. These systems support NIBE’s ambition to provide efficient, innovative energy and heat supplies that can act as both an alternative or supplement to traditional ground source heat pump boreholes and surface collectors.
The visit follows the academy’s grand re-opening in December, where NIBE was joined by The Worshipful Mayor of Chesterfield Tony Rogers and his wife Mayoress Sharon Rogers for the unveiling. Attendees got the chance to gain greater insight into the low carbon training opportunities available as NIBE called for a growing installer base.
Managing Director Phil Hurley said “It was a pleasure to once again meet our local Chesterfield MP, Toby Perkins, on Friday and to show him around our flagship Training Academy. We held productive talks on the vital need to expand the heat pump installer base in order to meet Government installation targets and how our products will contribute to producing more sustainable heating across the country.”
NIBE’s training courses are now available to book online.