During the peak of COVID 19 the HSE temporarily permitted registered gas engineers whose ACS qualifications had expired to remain on the Gas Safe Register for an additional period.

With lockdown measures easing, more ACS centres (including LCL Awards approved ones) are able to open, so the HSE is urging for reassessment to start taking place again.

LCL Awards is one of a number of industry representatives* involved in a consultation about the future of low carbon heating and the training needed to meet targets to decarbonise UK homes.

LCL Awards and Develop Training Ltd. (DTL) have collaborated in developing a Managed Learning Programme (MLP) specifically for the emergency services; a key part of DTL’s new Level 3 apprenticeship.

The forthcoming JIB and ECS Training Provider Conference will be of interest to centres offering our electrical training qualifications. It’s taking place on Wednesday 18^th March at the NCC in Birmingham and aims to show how training providers and industry can work together in order to meet the future needs of learners and employers.

LCL Awards will be exhibiting at IGEM’s Gas Utilisation conference on 31^st March at the NCC in Birmingham, an event aimed at those working in the utilisation sector of the gas industry.

We have updated our Domestic Electrical Installer (DEI) qualification and it will be available from the end of March, with full implementation from 1^st May 2020.

At the end of January, MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) published the first standard for installation of battery energy storage systems. Battery Storage Standard (MIS 3012) is designed to complement the organisations certification of other microgeneration technologies and has been developed with input from Tesla, Sonnen, Moixa, the STA and REA amongst others.

Electric Vehicles have been big news this week. Not only has the government announced it’s bringing forward a ban on selling new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles from 2040 to 2035 in order to help meet the UK’s zero emissions pledge for 2050, the IET has published its Amendment 1 to BS 7671:2018 (IET Wiring Regulatons 18^th Edition) in relation to the earthing of electrical charging equipment at electric vehicle charging points.

An exciting trial at Keele University in Staffordshire is bringing the possibility of replacing natural gas with a gas/hydrogen mix a step closer. The project, led by the gas distribution company Cadent, is the UK’s first live usage of hydrogen in a modern gas network. It is hoped that the year-long trial will provide evidence that customers don’t have to change their cooking or heating appliances to take the blend.

Throughout 2019, Ofqual, Qualifications Wales and CEA have reviewed and consulted on the recognition criteria for Awarding Organisations (AOs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The consultation is to ensure risks associated with qualification delivery at centres is minimised and that employers can have confidence in regulated qualifications.