The future of CIBSE Training, an interview with Laura Ford, Training Development Manager


Wondering what new training opportunities are coming up? Laura Ford, CIBSE Training Development Manager, talks to us about her new role and future training plan.

Iulia Margineanu, Services Marketing Assistant: Hello Laura, thank you for making time to give us a peek into your work and let us know about upcoming opportunities to look forward too. How about we start with you telling us a bit more about your new role at CIBSE and what’s your favourite part about it?

Laura Ford: I started the role in January and have been implementing a quality assurance procedure to ensure we are focussing on bringing in new training content, new trainers, and of course, putting in place a revision of content we already have, to ensure we are delivering training that is of high quality, up to date and relevant.  

CIBSE is at the forefront of the built environment and I have been keen to reach out to those who are making a difference in the industry, so they can share their knowledge by providing training to our members and those who would benefit from it.

I really enjoy picking up the enthusiasm from those that have that specialist knowledge, working closely with them, to help provide their training content.

 

IM: Obviously, there’s a wide pool of choices to develop training on, how do you choose which to focus on or to bring forward? 

LF: There is a wealth of knowledge around us at CIBSE, and you can pick up on key areas that we, in training, should be involved with. We have very good Knowledge and Technical teams here who always help by steering me in the right direction with ideas or topics that either come my way or think we should be involved in.

The key topics of The Fire Safety Bill and Net Zero Carbon that are relevant now, are an obvious choice to push forward. 


IM: Sounds great, Laura! I know there are also opportunities for people to submit new course ideas, so, for example, if someone would want to propose a course based on their skill-set and knowledge, what should they take into consideration before putting a proposal up?

LF: The key considerations whenever contemplating new proposals are justification and learning outcomes. Why should CIBSE provide this training?  What knowledge would be gained and how can it be applied?  If these questions can be answered in detail, then that is a very good start!


IM: Anything new coming for live training or online learning?

LF: Yes there is!  We have four live training courses that should be ready to be released very shortly. They cover the following topics:

  • Practical Management of Fire Safety in Buildings
  • NABERS Design for Performance Advanced Simulation Software
  • Residential Fire Sprinkler Design BS9251:2020  
  • Design of Ductworks 

Later in the year, we will be offering courses on two of our CIBSE Knowledge departments recently published items:

So, it’s a very exciting time!


IM: It does sound like very exciting times are coming for training! Well while we wait for those to be released, what are some of the existing training courses you would recommend the CIBSE community to have a look at?  

LF: We have some very popular courses which are run by trainers who have a wealth of experience in the industry. 

For example, our three-day Mechanical Services Explained course is for those needing knowledge in mechanical building services who may not have had any formal training directly in mechanical services. 

Another popular course is Above Ground Building Drainage.  Above Ground Drainage has evolved from established national traditions to modern systems that use science and politics to develop today’s standards. The course takes you through the options that are now available and includes example calculations to emphasise the key issues that need to be considered.

For further information on the topic areas and courses we run, please do look at our new and updated brochure!


IM: That all sounds fantastic, thank you for your time, Laura! 


Be the first to find out when all those new opportunities will be released by signing up for our training mailing list. 


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