Project: South West Enabling Environmental Technologies (SWEET)

Following a training needs analysis in the South West SWEET is developing and delivering flexible training in environmental technologies to support businesses in the west of England move into the emerging markets of renewable energy, energy efficiency and waste management.

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Hartpury College, situated in rural Gloucestershire, is the lead partner in the South West Enabling Environmental Technologies project (SWEET). The project, co-financed by ESF (European Social Fund) and LSC (Learning and Skills Council), began in August 2008 and  trains SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) to take advantage of environmental technologies in the construction, electrical and waste management sectors in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset.

To establish the business training requirements a training needs analysis was conducted between February and June 2009. It involved consultation with over 100 SME and a full organisational needs analysis with 60. It found that leaders and managers require a greater awareness of environmental technologies to improve business efficiency and customer take up and technicians need to extend their current skill set to install the technology. Interestingly, these finding have been replicated elsewhere in the country in research carried out by various Sector Skills Councils. A further issue was identified about the amount of time business could afford to release staff for training and there is a strong preference for short course of three days or less, particularly in a sector that has been badly affected by the recession.

Working with the awarding bodies, SWEET identified a nationwide dearth of funded training at level 2 and 3 in Further Education colleges and adopted a two step approach to fill the gap. First, it identified and now runs a set of 8 pre-existing courses that go some of the way to satisfy the training needs. These courses are funded by SWEET and open anyone who is 19 and over. SWEET is also working with Summit Skills (Sector Skills Council for Building Services Engineering) and City and Guilds on step two. Together they are developing 13 new units in environmental technology which will be available from September 2010. The units fully meet the training needs and will be set against the QCF (Qualification Credit Framework) which is due to replaces the NQF (National Qualification Framework) at the end of the year. The QCF allows the flexibility to develop training that not only meets business training requirements but also its preference for short courses. A traditional NQF level 3 qualification involves 240 hours of guided learning with no option to take (and be credited for) a small part of the course. Using the QCF SWEET will develop 13, 10 hour units which can taken individually as CPD (Continuing Professional Development) or combined to form a broader understanding. Both routes are accredited and can lead to a full qualification at award, certificate or diploma level.

This QCF units are a key output from the project. Individual or a combination of units can be adopted by training providers elsewhere in the region or in other parts of the country who can use them to kick start their provision of funded environmental training. The training can also be adopted outside the construction sectors that SWEET is focused on. Hartpury college itself will use the training as part of it land based courses.

Andrew Callard the Deputy Principal (Services for Business) of Hartpury college believes  SWEET will have national impact. Not only will its training be adopted else where but the training itself will  generate jobs in new markets that can make a significant contribution in the fight against climate change. He says,

“SWEET's training is helping to generate jobs by developing skills necessary for business to actively engage in new markets. This, of course, will stimulate the industry's manufacture base and help to make the technology even more affordable. This is particularly timely in a sector that has been badly affected by the recession. SWEET also addresses the national need to engage effectively with environmental technologies to meet global climate change objectives”

Contact details

Rob Matts, SWEET Project Manager
Hartpury College
Hartpury College Hartpury House, Gloucester, GL19 3BE
(01452) 702 458
E-mail not available