Learning & Development in Ventilation Hygiene and Fire Damper Testing: A Call for Balance & Progress

Dare I stick my head above the parapet? My sector—Ventilation Hygiene and Fire Damper & Smoke Control Damper Testing (within the Building Services Engineering industry) —is a complex and often misunderstood field. It’s a minefield of legacy issues, competing priorities, and a historical lack of investment. Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as Chair of BESA (Building & Engineering Services Association) in Scotland and Vice Chair of NAADUK (National Association of Air Duct Specialists), meeting many knowledgeable and capable individuals along the way. Despite the progress we’ve made, this industry has long been shaped by a patchwork of regulation—from insurers, British Standards, trade associations, and piecemeal legislation touching on fire safety, health and safety, and catering hygiene.

The introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Building Regulations 2010 Part 2A has brought a long-overdue shift. For the first time, it establishes competence as a legal requirement for those working on buildings. This includes duct cleaning and fire damper testing companies. However, the path to true competency in our field remains fraught with challenges, scarcity and misunderstandings, particularly around short courses, training and qualifications.

Today, I want to share my thoughts on a debate that continues to divide the industry: the role and value of short courses. My intention is to present a rational perspective and highlight the solutions we need to address the gaps in training and education—without being too controversial (hopefully!).

The Role of Short Courses in Training

Short courses have their place and value, but their limitations are undeniable. The issue isn’t their existence—it’s the claims they sometimes make.

Training in our industry is, frankly, lacking. While short courses provide an important starting point, they don’t demonstrate on-the-job competence. Similarly, compliance schemes based solely on desktop audits offer little assurance about the capabilities of individuals—they only measure company-level compliance.

Thankfully, we now have qualifications that recognise individuals’ competence and validate their skills, knowledge, education, and behaviours (SKEB).

We therefore need both:

• Comprehensive training programs that address the industry’s existing gaps.
• Recognised qualifications to provide evidence of competency for both experienced employees and newcomers.

In the absence of established apprenticeship pathways (a glaring issue that warrants its own discussion), short courses remain a necessary stopgap. They help address immediate training needs, foster awareness, and engage companies that are prioritising employee development in our sector. However, they must be part of a larger ecosystem of structured, robust training, education and development.

The Call to Abolish Short Courses: A Misstep?

Some in the industry have called for the outright abolition of short courses. I disagree. This message creates confusion and division within the industry. The real issue is not the existence of short courses but how they are positioned. Training courses absolutely have value, but they should not be marketed as a means of demonstrating competence. Competence can only be demonstrated and verified through learning programmes that are developed against approved standards (skills and knowledge) and assessed by an independent third party, and a regulated qualification would always be the preference.

Eliminating training courses without first establishing widely available and viable alternatives would only widen the existing gaps in training and competence. Let me explain why:

1. Legacy Issues Persist: Our industry is still grappling with decades of bad practice and a lack of formal education. Short courses, while not perfect, help lay a foundation for best practices and raise awareness of industry standards.
2. Engagement is Growing: Companies are beginning to embrace the need for employee accreditation. Short courses play a key role in generating interest in qualifications, acting as an entry point for better training and a culture of continuous learning that simply didn’t exist before.
3. Bridging the Gap: Until comprehensive apprenticeship programs and structured pathways are widely available, short courses provide a necessary bridge to improve standards and mitigate malpractice.

Rather than discarding them, we should focus on enhancing their accountability and purpose- ensuring they act as a stepping stone towards full qualification and verified competence. Training and qualifications do not need to be opposing forces; they must work together to professionalise and strengthen our industry.

There has been a palpable lack of governance and leadership in our sector (another glaring issue that warrants its own discussion). I want to foster industry collaboration and support a transformation that ultimately paves the way for careers and a more skilled and competent workforce.

The Value of Awareness Training: Bridging the Gap

These days, our Head Trainer, Eddie Tierney, and I focus on delivering awareness courses in Scotland for ventilation hygiene and fire damper services. Why? Because, as outlined above, there’s currently nothing else widely available to train individuals who have been delivering these services for years. Our fundamental vision, when it comes to training and education in this industry, is to support in promoting best practices, methodologies, manufacturer guidance, standards, and regulations. Candidates and their employers will be helped to understand their legal responsibilities with regards to competence and what they can and can’t do following their training.

We are aware that currently every day, new entrants come into this market with little to no barrier to entry.? Up until the birth of qualifications in our industry short courses were the only degree of competency and consistency available, as such they became relied upon and played a critical role. Qualifications are now absolutely necessary; they serve as validation and support an individual’s training. But in the absence of formal apprenticeships and an understanding of the pathways now available, we cannot assume that everyone currently doing the job is doing it correctly or to a consistent standard. Without solid foundations in good practice, industry experience, and knowledge of insurers’ expectations, what are their efforts based on?

A key change we’ve made since the change in legislation is in how we market our training. Because the training landscape in our sector has shifted significantly since April 2022 and the introduction of the Building Safety Act, we’re conscious of the legal requirements for competence that our courses cannot deem a person "competent," "qualified," or "certified".

Our courses are designed to educate on:

• Best practices grounded in industry standards.
• Collective knowledge drawn from years of experience and manufacturer advice.
• A sense of community and shared purpose, fostering collaboration and continuous improvement.

This is worth something. However, it’s crucial to clarify: we do not claim that short courses make individuals qualified or competent. Instead, they provide the groundwork for education and improvement. This distinction is vital.

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Supporting and Directing the Industry to Qualifications for Compliance and Competence

Ultimately a qualification based on National Occupational Standards (NOS) is the only way to demonstrate competence and compliance, however, we still need to address the gaps in foundational training. Apprenticeships would be an ideal solution, but until they’re widely available, short/awareness courses add value in bridging the gap.

Our Head Trainer, Eddie Tierney, with decades of experience, currently delivers our training sessions. The sheer number of people attending—already delivering these services but lacking industry best practices and consistency—is telling. This palpable need underscores the importance of short courses (which can be used as evidence towards meeting the approved standards) as a stepping stone for raising standards and creating a safer, more professional industry. But we must remember their place in relation to a qualification and they cannot be marketed as a means to evidence individual competence.

Building a Better Future for Our Industry

I’ve spent the past few years as more of an observer, and I’ll admit I’ve been disappointed with some of the failures of the powers that be. However, I haven’t given up. Change is happening. Slowly but surely, the industry is beginning to shift toward better practices and higher standards.

I believe in playing a constructive role in this transformation. That’s why I’m committed to working with industry representatives, stakeholders and HVAC professionals to offer short courses that align with broader goals and will become learning and development programmes: building competence, improving standards, and creating pathways for meaningful education and career development.

We have an opportunity to move forward, but it requires balance. We can’t kick out the foundations of our industry without providing the resources and infrastructure to replace them. The solution lies in collaboration and a willingness to adapt and innovate.

In short, I’m here to be part of the solution—not the problem.

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