Cool Designs Ltd, the Toshiba distributor, has opened a new air conditioning training centre to serve installers in Scotland.
The new facility, based at College Milton, East Kilbride, will offer the full range of Toshiba courses, covering theory and practical skills in installation, commissioning and trouble-shooting.
It will also provide refreshers on the recent changes to F-Gas legislation, and what they mean for contractors and end users, in terms of the mandatory requirements on refrigerant leak tests, record keeping and certification of engineers.
The centre is equipped with working examples of air conditioning systems, including Toshiba’s SMMS mini-VRF, enabling delegates to receive a thorough grounding in the principles of variable refrigerant flow systems and related controls.
CDL now operates three dedicated air conditioning training centres, with the other facilities located in Sunderland and Warrington. It also runs courses from Toshiba’s national training centre in Leatherhead.
Heading up CDL’s expanding training programme is training manager Peter Bradley, who has many years’ experience in the industry across a wide range of equipment types and application areas.
The company now has capacity to train more than 200 engineers a year. With access to Toshiba’s flagship facility in Surrey, CDL is now one of the largest providers of specialist air conditioning training among distributors in the UK.
Darrel Birkett, managing director, said: “One of the biggest constraints on the growth of the air conditioning industry is the availability of skilled engineers. As a successful and growing distributor, we have a responsibility to help grow the next generation, and make sure today’s staff are fully up-to-speed, on the technology, the environment and the regulations. That way everyone benefits.”
He added: “Toshiba have been extremely supportive, which has helped us roll-out the CDL training network in a fast-track programme.”