The National Construction Training Campus: At the forefront of retrofit skills development

One of six national centres of excellence for nearly zero energy buildings (NZEB) and retrofitting training, Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board’s (LOETB) Mount Lucas Campus trained and upskilled 1,162 trainees during 2022, in the areas of NZEB and Retrofitting, achieving 57 per cent of the annual national target.

Facilities at this National Construction Training Centre include a large purpose-built deep retrofit hall of 600 square metres that houses full-scale rigs representing the diverse range of retrofitting challenges encountered on most projects – everything from roof, wall, and floor insulation to airtightness application, ventilation installation and commissioning, and renewable energy installation. It is truly a showcase in terms of state-of-the-art upskilling facilities for those involved in delivering deep retrofits.

Programmes are scheduled as day, evening, and weekend courses to facilitate accessibility. Additionally, where feasible, courses offer a blended approach, with an appropriate mix of online and on-site delivery. Programmes are designed specifically to upskill those working in the construction sector, providing them with the knowledge and awareness of the NZEB standards as set down in Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations and that meet the requirements of the Climate Action Plan to upskill current contractors and other industry players in deep retrofit, NZEB, and new technology installations.

Some programmes go beyond the NZEB standard, and the National Construction Training Centre at Mount Lucas also delivers the Certified Passive House Tradesperson course. Passive house buildings are energy efficient buildings that provide users with high levels of comfort and excellent air quality around the clock. As a result, building professionals often need additional expertise to ensure the high requirements for the passive house building envelope and technology can be met. This two-day blended learning course is delivered online (one day) and onsite in the National Construction Training Centre at Mount Lucas (one day) and provides that expertise.

A BER (Building Energy Rating) assessment is an indication of the energy performance of a home and is required when an existing dwelling is sold or rented or when a new dwelling is built for sale. Crucially, BER assessments are also required to validate certain home energy retrofit measures that are funded through the grant schemes. The National Retrofitting Scheme therefore creates expanding work opportunities for BER assessors and Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) provides a six-day BER Assessor Training Course for people with good computer skills, a Level 6 Certificate in a trade or construction or equivalent qualifications, plus relevant life and work experiences.

The Mount Lucas campus also offers practical programmes, which are industry recognised and ensure learners possess the skillset currently sought by employers to carry out the work required on domestic retrofitting projects such as external and internal wall insulation and airtightness. LOETB is in the process of gaining QQI accreditation for these programmes that will enhance the career pathways for those in the sector and enable progression to higher level programmes such as the extensive range of related programmes offered by TUS Midwest.

The key attraction for learners attending the National Construction Training Centre at Mount Lucas is the quality of both trainers and training rigs that provide a work-realistic immersive experience. Theory is greatly enhanced through enabling learners gain crucial experience in working, in a simulated work environment, with the very latest products, details and application methods with the support of expert tutors who are deeply passionate about delivering deep retrofits at scale.

LOETB is also catering for those requiring skills to enter the construction sector with programmes specifically designed for those with little or no experience in the sector. The Report on the Analysis of Skills for Residential Construction and Retrofitting 2023–2030 recommended that new training course should be introduced to produce workers who are capable of providing assistance to qualified craft workers who are engaged in the retrofitting of houses to an equivalent B2 standard. LOETB will launch this course in 2023. Similarly, the November 2021 Skills for Zero Carbon Report identified an emerging occupation, ‘renovation/retrofit advisor’. LOETB has partnered with Generation – who provided a similar programme with the Retrofit Academy in the UK – to develop a programme that provides the knowledge and skillset to act a first point of contact, helping and supporting individuals whose properties are being retrofitted and providing essential backup to installers, assessors and coordinators with crucial organisational and administrative work.

LOETB’s Mount Lucas site has also been announced as host to Ireland’s National Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Demonstration Park, supported under the Government’s Housing for All strategy.

The Irish Government has committed to promoting a culture of compliant and sustainable innovation in residential construction through the development of MMC. The park, which was officially announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD in July, will help provide an accessible and interactive built resource for applied research, training, and demonstration.

While the overriding objective of MMC Park is to showcase and demonstrate MMC application to dwelling types that are most urgently needed in Ireland as part of the Housing for All policy – dwelling types include semi-detached, terraced and apartments – a deep retrofit exemplar will also be included that must encompass aspects of MMC demonstration, containing at least some element of 2-D panels.

The focus on MMC has prompted LOETB to develop programmes that will directly relate to modern methods of construction skillsets – from BIM, TEKLA and Revit to construction assembly and installation.

The National Construction Training Campus, which also hosts Ireland’s first scaffolding apprenticeship, is progressing towards a one stop skills shop for the built environment as it develops and implements programmes that focus on skills gaps in the construction sector and contribute to the country’s ambitious retrofit and house building targets.

W: www.mountlucas.ie
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