Steve Owen, Baxi’s National Training Manager, offers an insight into how increasing knowledge through electrical training courses can improve efficiency and productivity for individuals and businesses.
All boiler installations and a large number of repairs involve dealing with electrics. Some installers choose to refer their repair work to other businesses, but investing in training can help to keep a job more profitable and time efficient.
It is a legal requirement in the UK for certain areas of the electrical work involved in a boiler installation to be carried out by a suitably qualified installer or a qualified electrician. Therefore in order to gain the ability to complete a full installation, installers may need to attend an approved college or training centre to achieve the relevant qualifications.
However, boiler maintenance and repairs often involve an element of electrical work. So if investing in full electrical qualifications isn’t an option, taking a basic electrical course could still be worthwhile.
The ability to carry out basic electrical checks can have a positive impact in terms of efficiency and profitability. Not only will it widen scope for potential new business, but the quick identification and solution of a problem guarantees customer satisfaction. Not having to refer your customers to others also increases the profitability of a business.
Of course investing in training is also essential for health and safety purposes, lowering your risk of electric shocks when carrying out work on your customers’ products.
Training courses that can provide engineers with a basic electrical appreciation skill set include Baxi’s multi-meter course. While an essential tool for an engineer working on the electrical side of boilers, it has been identified that some installers struggle to get to grips with the multi-meter and how it works – with some even avoiding using this tool altogether.
A multi-meter training course will highlight how to use the device to its full potential, so that installers can carry out preliminary electrical safety checks as well as component electrical tests. Having an understanding of why minor faults occur will provide installers with the ability to fix these issues safely and efficiently.
Another key course that can boost problem-solving knowledge and confidence is ‘boiler diagnostics’. This course covers a wide range of products and provides hands-on practice for diagnosing possible problems by following set paths.
In these economically challenging and highly competitive times, investing in training is essential because it can help a business to protect its profit margin and widen opportunities. Not only that but anyone working with electrics should be properly trained to guard against unnecessary accidents.
