Category Archives: News & Press Releases

The Great BPEC Bake Off

Today at our offices we held ‘The Great BPEC Bake Off’. The theme, of course, was plumbing and, as you can see above, there were some innovative entries. The cakes tasted nice too!! BPEC Chairman George Thomson became our own ‘Paul Hollywood’ as lead judge, and the winner was Katie Goy who is the PA […]

BPEC Office Hours changing from Monday 3rd June 2019

From Monday 3rd June 2019 our office hours will be changing. Our staff will be available to speak with you from 8:30am Monday to Friday to deal with any enquiries you may have. The office will close at 4.30pm each day. We are confident that our new hours will continue to meet the needs of […]

Core and Appliance Gas Safety Manuals now available to buy separately

To offer more flexibility to training centres, colleges and gas engineers, the BPEC Core Domestic Gas Safety Manual and the BPEC Appliance Specific Domestic Gas Safety Manual are now available to buy separately. The Combined Domestic Gas Safety Manual, consisting of both manuals, is also still available. Alternatively, should you prefer a digital option, the […]

The BPEC Charity – Supporting the Plumbing & Heating Industry

Dedicated to providing education and lifelong learning to all who work in the Building Services Engineering (BSE) sector, BPEC is an industry-leading provider of qualifications, assessments and learning materials. However, what makes BPEC unique, and sets us apart from our competitors, is that we are led by employers for the benefit of the sector, and […]

BPEC appoint Technical Business Support Managers

We are delighted to announce that Paul Wilson (pictured on the right) and Jonathan Bexon (left) have joined the BPEC team as Technical Business Support Managers. Within this role, they will both be offering technical support across development and operations within the business. Paul began his plumbing career at the age of 16 after leaving […]

BPEC EPAO work with Team Knowhow

An innovative approach to End-point Assessment has been launched to help train the next generation of ‘Team Knowhow’ gas engineers. Team Knowhow, established by electrical retailer Dixons, is a network of 7000 experts who will help install, support, upgrade or fix customers’ kit throughout the lifecycle of a product. BPEC have been appointed by Team […]

Update to Commercial Gas Foundation (Managed Learning Programme)

We have now completed the update to our Commercial Gas Foundation Heating and our Commercial Gas Foundation Catering (Managed Learning Programmes). Both have been updated to current legislation and standards. Each Commercial Gas Foundation (MLP) will now have a dedicated candidate portfolio which explains the requirements for both on and off the job evidence. The cost […]

Neil Collishaw takes over from Paul Johnson as BPEC CEO

We would like to bid a very fond farewell to our CEO Paul Johnson who is retiring at the end of 2018. Paul has been with BPEC for over 22 years and has led BPEC to become a leading provider of qualifications, assessments and learning materials in the Plumbing and Heating Industry in the UK. […]

New BPEC Approved Centre – Technical Gas Training Ltd (TGT)

GATC (Gas Assessment and Training Centre) have recently purchased Technical Gas Training Ltd (TGT) –  a training facility located at the edge of the New Forest in Ferndown, Dorset. This is in addition to the excellent training and assessment provision GATC already have established in Pontypridd, Cardiff. The modern TGT training facility utilises the latest […]

BPEC helps define WorldSkills Standards

Every two years WorldSkills hosts the world championships of skills which attracts young professionals from all corners of the globe to gather together for the chance to win a prestigious medal in their chosen skill. BPEC are proud to have supported WorldSkills by helping define the standards in Plumbing and Heating to ensure the standards […]

NEW! Gas Safety Awareness Level 1 & Level 2

Developed to complement our popular Level 3 Gas Safety Awareness Award for Managers and Supervisors, we are pleased to announce the introduction of our Level 1 and Level 2 Gas Safety Awareness Awards. The Level 1 Award is designed to give a basic understanding of key points relating to domestic gas safety, and how to […]

BPEC enters into partnership with NOCN

BPEC has joined forces with NOCN, the leading national Awarding and Assessment Organisation. This partnership will see NOCN offering BPEC qualifications to its network of authorised training centres alongside its own extensive range of regulated qualifications. NOCN is the second largest Awarding Organisation in the Construction Sector with its construction brand Cskills Awards. It offers […]

Female First for CIPHE Presidential Role

BPEC would like to congratulate Tracey Richardson on becoming the National President of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE). Tracey is the first female to be elected to this role. Tracey has been working with BPEC for over 4 years now, supporting our charitable activity as one of our expert judges for the […]

BPEC congratulates Paul Dodds on being awarded an MBE

BPEC congratulates Paul Dodds, Training Manager at WorldSkills UK, on being awarded an MBE. Paul receives this award in recognition of his services to the skills competitors across the UK and internationally at WorldSkills. Paul has been involved in organising and delivering the plumbing skills competition in the UK for 27 years, and has served as […]

BPEC 18th Edition goes Live

We are pleased to confirm that the BPEC Level 3 Award in the Requirements for Electrical Installation BS7671:2018 (18th Edition) is ready for delivery. This qualification is aimed at practicing electricians including designers, installers and inspectors. The IET Wiring Regulations (BS7671) are the epitome of electrical standards in the UK. It is necessary for all […]

BPEC discusses the apprenticeship levy in Installer magazine

In the July/August 2018 edition of Installer Magazine, BPEC’s Neil Collishaw, Head of Innovation and Development, looks at some of the common questions that have been asked by potential employers in relation to the apprenticeship levy introduced last year. Read the article online now  

BPEC Chief Executive announcement

BPEC Chairman, George Thomson, has announced that Paul Johnson is to step down from his role as Chief Executive in December this year.  Paul has been with BPEC for over 22 years and has led the organisation to become a leading provider of qualifications, assessments and learning materials in the UK Plumbing and Heating Industry. […]

New Part L (Energy Efficiency) Course

This course covers the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations. This new course has been updated to cover the Domestic Heating Compliance Guide 2013 and 2018 requirements, ErP and the Boiler Plus legislation. ErP (Energy related Products) energy efficiency rating will require all gas boiler types, together with mandatory time and temperature control […]

New Electrical Qualification coming soon!

In response to our centres’ feedback, we are currently developing a new electrical qualification to align to the 18th Edition of the BS 7671 Wiring Regulations. These new wiring regulations will be published by the IET in July and come into effect in January 2019. This new BPEC wiring regulation qualification will be available in […]

BPEC talks end-point assessment (EPA) in Installer magazine

In the June edition of Installer magazine, BPEC’s Neil Collishaw looks at the new end-point assessment being introduced for the new trailblazer apprenticeship programmes. Read the article online now In the July edition, we’ll be giving readers advice on the funding of apprenticeships – watch this space!  

Smart Gas Training and Assessment celebrate 1st anniversary with BPEC

After many enjoyable years managing and delivering within the plumbing and gas faculty at a local college,  John Grocott and Patrick O’Sullivan (pictured right with BPEC’s Grant Davies) embarked on a new venture by opening their own training centre, Smart Gas Training and Assessment during April 2017. Based in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, they offer a flexible approach […]

BPEC talks apprenticeships in Installer magazine

In the May edition of Installer magazine, BPEC’s Neil Collishaw looks at the changes being introduced to the apprenticeship system by the government and what this means for plumbers and installers. In the next two editions, we’ll be giving readers advice on End-point Assessments and the apprenticeship levy – watch this space! Read the article […]

Mark Antrobus is the new Chairman of BPEC’s Governing Board

BPEC would like to thank Duncan Wilson for his sterling service as Chairman of BPEC’s Governing Board. The Governing Board is made up of independent members that ensure BPEC complies with industry standards and regulatory responsibilities. Furthermore, it operates the ACS assessment scheme and plumbing qualifications via our Certification Body and Awarding Organisation. After more […]

Changing times ahead…

BPEC provides training centres and FE partners with a special e-newsletter – The BPEC Brief – bringing them the latest news and policy updates affecting the training sector. View Issue 05 here.

Industry Skills Discussed at PHSP Event

Plumbing and heating organisations and other stakeholders gathered recently to discuss how the industry could work collectively to address training and skills issues. During the event, hosted by the Plumbing & Heating Skills Partnership (PHSP), attendees were briefed on the skills activity currently taking place across the UK and asked what future skills needs the […]