Margaret Jovanovski offers an insight into her role as Vokèra by Riello’s Training Co-ordinator and explains how the company’s technical training for Gas Safe / RGII registered engineers can actually save time and money by helping them keep up to date with the latest regulations and advancements in boiler technology.

Real value

We understand that installers often find it difficult to take a day out of their busy schedules for training, that’s why we ensure that all our courses and workshops deliver real value and business benefits for those who attend.  Our focus is about making an installer’s life easier and giving them the knowledge and skills they need to enable simple and hassle free repairs and installs. They can also learn about new installation procedures and best practice, which can help save time and money on site.

Another area where training becomes essential is learning about new heating industry regulations. As we all know, legislation is an evolving issue so remains an important factor in an installers training and knowledge bank. And with the new Boiler Plus initiative, which came into force in England in April 2018, even greater responsibility has been placed on the installer’s shoulders, so education is key to ensure compliance.

Understanding both sides

I have spent most of my professional life in training and find it both interesting and rewarding. Before joining Vokèra as Training Co-ordinator about five years ago I worked in a similar role for a health and safety organisation. During my career I have also been a trainer, so you could say that I understand the job from both sides of the desk. In my present position I am the first point of contact for enquiries about Vokèra’s comprehensive range of courses, handling calls from individual Gas Safe Registered / RGII engineers and organisations such as colleges, councils and contractors looking for high quality training for their students and staff.  We have more than a dozen partnerships with colleges, providing them with equipment and other resources for their own training facilities. This support has recently been extended to allow other colleges to send their students for courses at our well-equipped training centres. To further develop these relationships, I visit colleges on a regular basis to discuss their needs and to  find out how we can contribute to creating the next generation of highly skilled heating engineers.

Finding the right course

My role as Vokèra’s Training Co-ordinator is also advisory and finding a course that will best meet an installer’s needs. By asking questions such as how long have you been in business; are you looking for something practical; or are you interested in learning about a specific sector, such as renewables, I can recommend the right training. The options we offer are wide ranging and include courses aimed at new entrants, high efficiency products, fault finding, and BeSMART and controls.  With so much industry emphasis on energy efficiency, it’s not surprising that courses focusing on solutions to maximise energy savings for their customers are particularly popular with installers.

Our technical training is conducted by experienced tutors and is structured to ensure it covers the appliance range (domestic and commercial), installation, operation, wiring, flueing, Benchmark, fault finding and commissioning. We can also arrange tailored workshops to cover specific topics.

Having established the right course with the caller and made a booking on their behalf, I send a confirmation by email. This is then followed by a letter giving full details of the course agenda and venue. A few days before the course is due to start, I will call the installer to confirm attendance. Vokèra offers training across the UK and Ireland and has four dedicated training centres at London Colney, Bradford, Glasgow, and Callan in the Ireland. We also operate 12 satellite centres ranging from Plymouth and Birmingham to Aberdeen and Belfast.

In addition to managing general training enquiries I take calls relating to our Vokèra Accredited Installers and can advise people where to find their nearest accredited installer.  Affinity members may also know my name and voice as I also manage the Affinity Call Centre. Thousands of installers have signed up to this loyalty scheme since it was launched in 2006, giving them access to support, including training, and a host of business benefits and rewards.

Social media

My role as Vokèra’s Training Co-ordinator has certainly grown over the years and there have been some exciting innovations. For example, interacting with installers on social media is now part of the daily routine for me and my colleague, David Iszchak, who is an experienced Technical Trainer. Industry forums like Gas Chat on Facebook provide an ideal platform for us to communicate with installers and answer their queries. For me, being a Training Co-ordinator is all about building relationships with customers and helping them achieve their personal and business potential through Vokèra’s professional training programme.

We believe that making training courses as accessible and educational as possible is an important part of a manufacturer’s role and one that Vokèra is keen to promote. Training is the best way for installers to ensure they have the knowledge and experience to fit the latest products safely and effectively and stay ahead of the game. From the many testimonials we receive from installers who take up our free training, the time spent on one of our courses or workshops is time well spent.

To find out more information on Vokèra courses, visit our training information page at: http://www.vokera.co.uk/trade-professionals/technical-training/ and you can also follow Vokèra on: Facebook  | Twitter  | LinkedIn.