Ian and Carolynn Edgeworth have been very busy over the last few months, setting up Scotland’s newest LCL Awards approved training centre, The Energy Training Academy in Dalkeith, Mid Lothian.

With the support of founders, Mark Glasgow and Andrew Lamond, the couple have transformed a huge 12,000 square foot warehouse into a state of the art training facility, providing gas training and focusing on sustainable renewables courses accredited by LCL Awards.

Ian oversees everything in his role as Technical Director and Carolynn is lead Internal Verifier, as well as office manager.

Ian started his engineering career as a plumbing apprentice and moved into the gas industry, setting up and then running his own gas business for twenty years. He’d always wanted to work in education and gained his training qualification at Gas Certification Company Ltd., in Glasgow, where he first met Carolynn.  

A chance meeting with Mark and Andrew ignited Ian’s interest in setting up and running a new kind of training centre – one with a strong focus on sustainability, but also social enterprise, mentoring the young engineers of the future.

It’s an ambitious project and the academy is already fostering what’s hoped will be long-term relationships with local schools and colleges through local government; to encourage young learners to pursue careers in sustainable renewable energies.

Ian and his team support the Scottish Government’s initiative ‘No One Left Behind’ which has been set up to promote a new approach to employability; focusing on the needs of the individual.  The scheme is designed to offer more flexible and responsive training to those entering a changing labour market, helping to tackle inequalities and grow Scotland's economy.

Initially, space in The Energy Academy will be given over to groups of pupils so that they can get excited about engineering – sessions that will introduce them to new technologies, energy-saving and renewable energy. The company plans to offer apprenticeships and is currently in discussion with BESA – and that’s not all. 

Ian explains:

“We will build a full-size three bedroomed house in the Academy – the centre piece of our vision! We’ll use it to showcase renewable technologies to inspire those that visit it. We have had productive meetings with companies looking to showcase various heating and energy options within our net zero home – it’s very exciting. 

"I remember fondly my mother used to take me to the Ideal Home Exhibition when I was  young and I was always drawn to the ‘houses of the future’. They made a big impression on me and I believe the house we build here will do the same with the youngsters of today.”

The new centre in Dalkeith has a range of bespoke theory training rooms, equipped with interactive digital presentation equipment and practical training spaces with top line facilities. Although grateful for support from manufacturers such as Conex and Ideal, who have supplied equipment for these, The Energy Training Academy remains proudly independent. As Ian says:

“It’s important that candidates have exposure to a wide range equipment, made by a variety of leading  manufacturers as that’s what they’ll find in the real world. Because we’re not tied to any one specific manufacturer, we’ve been able to provide  our training rooms with a stunning range of equipment.”

The Energy Training Academy has decided on a phased opening, starting with a range of courses in domestic and commercial gas safety courses, water regulations and LPG. The first series of CCN1 assessments is currently underway. Dates for renewable energy courses will be confirmed shortly, as will the introduction of a managed learning programme for trainee gas engineers.

The academy has a dedicated space for existing gas engineers to sit their Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS) exams, with further areas designed to replicate domestic and industrial environments. There are different boilers and gas fires, there’s under-floor piping and an attic space to allow for thorough technical learning.

Co-founder Andrew Lamond is proud of what they’ve achieved:

“This is the only community-focused facility of its kind in Scotland and has been a vision of ours for some time. It’s pleasing to see it really start to come to fruition, especially given the hard work that went in to attaining LCL Awards approval. We believe that by investing in the education and training of our community, we can foster a safer and more sustainable future for all.”

To find out more about the Energy Training Academy, please click here.

For more information on LCL Awards' range of industry-leading qualifications, click here.