Mechanical engineers and maintenance technicians at Spirax Sarco Ltd, Cheltenham, are receiving on-site tailored, hands-on electrical safety training courses from Technical Training Solutions.
Spirax Sarco designs, installs and commissions new steam facilities, as well as optimising and upgrading existing steam systems, while advising on system design and maintenance. Customers are from a diverse range of sectors including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, hospitals & health, oil & gas, pulp & paper, energy & power generation, water and sewerage.
At its UK headquarters in Cheltenham, the company employs more than 1,000 people. The 3,000 square metre site includes a Steam Technology Centre, where dedicated steam and thermal energy R&D takes place, as well as The Energy Centre, which includes a fully operational CHP (Combined Heat and Power) plant.
Andrew Marshall commented: “The steam and thermal energy industry has changed quite dramatically over the last decade and so our employees have had to adapt too. Traditionally, a Spirax Sarco project engineer or maintenance technician had a strong mechanical bias, as most of our products were mechanical in nature. However, there’s been a shift in requirements in the world of steam and thermal energy.
In 2016, Marshall began to search for a suitable UK-based training provider to help increase awareness of electrical safety at Cheltenham. He says he wanted to reinforce the electrical safety training for some engineers, whilst introducing it as a new topic to others. After searching online, Marshall contacted TTS.
Gary Vine, Instructor at TTS commented: “Our approach at TTS is always to teach course attendees to ‘learn by doing’. At Spirax Sarco, the course we devised started with the basics of electricity before progressing to the different types of electrical equipment and the relevant safety legislation. We included lots of practical exercises and fault-finding techniques. For me as an instructor, I get a real buzz from seeing light bulbs go on in people’s eyes when they learn something new or fully understand a new topic.”
“The courses act as an effective bridge between vocational studies and practical knowledge. We look forward to working closely with TTS on future training initiatives at Cheltenham,” concludes Andrew Marshall.
