Ideal Heating has boosted its proposition to the Scottish market with the opening of a new, dedicated training centre near Edinburgh.
The facility, in Dalgety Bay, will provide installers in Scotland with easy access to industry-leading courses delivered by Ideal’s Expert Academy training arm.
Alongside Expert Academy’s range of boiler courses, the centre will play a critical role in reskilling installers to work with heat pumps and other low-carbon heating solutions.
The Dalgety Bay facility represents an investment of £250,000 from Ideal Heating, in the refit of the building and in updated equipment.
With flagship facilities in Hull, Luton, Leeds, and now Scotland, Expert Academy is ensuring the UK has the skills to decarbonise heating.
Installers and specifiers from the new build and social housing sectors were among the guests for the opening of Ideal’s latest training centre.
Also in attendance at the event was Nicola McLeod, Managing Director for the Scotland Division at Warmworks. Over the past decade, Warmworks has delivered heating and energy efficiency upgrades to tens of thousands of homes on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Nicola said: “Having a training facility right here in Dalgety Bay, the first in Scotland, is an incredibly exciting milestone for Ideal.
“Not only does it give Warmworks’ supply chain access to high-quality, hands-on training, it also gives organisations the opportunity to advance their skills in heat pump technology and strengthens their commitment to local communities.”
At the event, Ideal Heating executives leading its training, product and technical teams explained how the company is setting the standard for heat pumps in the UK.
Mark Derbyshire, Ideal Heating’s Managing Director (Domestic), said: “As the industry moves towards low carbon heating solutions, it was important for Ideal to have a strong presence in Scotland, and to take installers on that training journey from boilers to heat pumps.
“Installers visiting our new centre in Dalgety Bay can not only access our high-quality range of training courses but also learn about heat pump system design and become familiar with our products.”
With capacity to train up to 2,000 installers every year, the new training facility is strategically located to be easily accessible to installers across central Scotland, with Glasgow, Dundee and Perth all within a 50-mile radius.
Installers undertaking training at the centre can benefit from the latest rigs and simulators, gaining hands-on, practical experience of working with Ideal’s range of heat pumps and boilers.
They will work closely with Expert Academy’s training team – who between them have 300 years of industry experience – to diagnose and solve real scenarios they will face when working out in the field.
Andrew Johnson, Training and Design Services Director at Ideal Heating, said: “We continue to invest significantly in our Expert Academy, to meet the evolving needs of the heating industry.
“By choosing Expert Academy, installers receive best-in-class training, in modern and attractive facilities, from a team with centuries of combined experienced in the heating industry.”
Expert Academy now has more than 30 training locations across the UK, with a dozen new centres opening last year.
Feedback on Expert Academy training has been overwhelmingly positive. Last year, 94 per cent of installers rated their experience as five out of five.
To build on a successful and busy 2024, Expert Academy kicked off 2025 by formally launching its On Demand service. The interactive, digital learning platform means more installers can access training anytime, anywhere, with greater flexibility.
Expert Academy is developing new courses in 2025, focused on renewable technologies and system design.
For details of Ideal Heating’s new Scottish training centre, go to www.expert-academy.co.uk/w/venues/5-dalgety-bay
