Renewable energy installer course (new entrant) (York)

This Renewable Energy installer course covers all the qualifications and work experience required for new entrants to become a renewable energy engineer in the installation of solar hot water and heat pump systems. 

The course starts off with the 8 week Plumbing and then moves on to the Renewable Energy and Unvented Hot Water courses, followed by a Renewable Energy Placement of up to 2 weeks.  Candidates can then choose to undertake the MCS Made Simple and the Electrics package, both of which are optional (additional fee applies).  For further details, please see the Theory Overview tab.

The demand for your new renewable energy installer skills will be high.  Figures from the UK Government expect the number of new people required in the UK green energy sector to rise to 100,000 over the next 5 years.  The consequences of global warming and the increasing use of green energy into the future will provide you with a secure employment outlook.  At PPL we have trained many hundreds of people in renewable energy technologies; we were one of the first in the country to offer solar and rainwater courses from Bpec.

With the introduction of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) in June 2011, the UK 'wet' renewable industry is set to grow very quickly. The RHI will work in a similar way to the Feed in Tariffs(FITs) - householders, businesses and other organisations will be rewarded (by cash payments) for generating their own heat, by using solar thermal hot water systems, heat pumps or biomass boilers.

In order to complete the full 6189 award there is a requirement for onsite assessment visits which are charged at £295 plus VAT per visit, per day.

We have access to various funding options.  You may even want to consider a Professional & Career Development loan.  Professional and Career Development Loans are commercial bank loans that can be used to help pay for work related learning. You can borrow between £300 and £10,000 to help support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it includes one year’s relevant unpaid practical work). The Government will pay the interest on the loan while you are learning and for one month afterwards. You will then need to start repaying the loan as you would any other commercial loans product. The loan can be used to pay course fees or other costs such as travel and living expenses. You can also use the loan to supplement other forms of support such as grants or bursaries.

As the Professional and Career Development Loan is a commercial loan product, you should make sure you have investigated all the funding options that may be open to you to ensure you take an informed decision about whether the Loan is right for you.  For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact Next Step on 0800 100 900.

After successfully completing the course, candidates have the option of either general plumbing work or installing renewable energy systems. 

For more information on the City & Guilds Renewable energy engineer course please see the theory overview tab:

** All the course stages may be broken into weekly blocks and taken over an extended period of time if required (payment plan offer excluded from extended time course). 

The 6089 NVQ requires additional onsite assessments to complete the full award, approximately 2.  These are charged at £295 plus VAT per visit.  Although we try, where possible, to combine visits with multiple candidates in the same geographical area, thus reducing all candidates' costs significantly - terms and conditions apply

Renewable energy installers course - Theory Overview:

Please see the individual courses below for a full theory description:

Full City & Guilds 6189 NVQ Diploma in Plumbing & Heating Level 2 
Bpec Water Regulations
Bpec Unvented Hot Water Systems
Bpec Solar Hot Water Installer
City & Guilds (Accredited) Renewable Energy Awareness

Students will complete the course in the following order:

Stage 1 - approximately 8 Weeks (plus onsite experience as required)

This covers the City & Guilds 6189 NVQ Diploma in Plumbing and Heating (this replaces the C&G 6129 and 6089 from May 2011). 

Stage 2 - Renewable Energy and Unvented Hot Water - 1 week

This stage sees candidates undertaking couses in both Solar Thermal Hot Water and Heat Pumps (Air and Ground source) together with Unvented Hot Water. 

Stage 3 - Renewable Energy Placement - up to 2 weeks

Candidates wising to gain additional practical installation of renewable technologies may request an unpaid work placement, normally with ex PPL trained engineers in the candidates local area or with PPL Solar.  The placement is subject to availability and PPL cannot guarantee this; however it is extremely rare that we have failed to organise a suitable placement for canidates, since 2005. 

Stage 4 - MCS Made Simple (optional - additional fee applies)

For those looking to gain MCS membership we recommend the excellent one day MCS Quality Assurance course, which provides all the training required to satisfy the requirements of the various competent person schemes, leaving you with not only the knowledge but also with quality manuals and working templates.

Stage 5 - Electrics - 8 days (optional - additional fee applies)

The installation of Renewable Energy Systems requires electrical connections, therefore the 5 day Bpec Part P Defined Scope electrics and 17th Edition Wiring Regulations have been included at this stage.

For more information on the City & Guilds Renewable Energy Engineer course, please see the practical overview tab.

Renewable energy installers course - Practical Overview:

Please see the courses below for a full practical description:

City & Guilds 6189 NVQ Diploma in Heating & Plumbing (L2) from May 2011

Bpec Unvented Hot Water certificate

Bpec Solar Thermal Hot Water certificate

Courses that are not listed in this section do not have a practical assessment element.

For more information on the City & Guilds Renewable energy engineer course please see the FAQs tab.

Renewable energy installers course FAQs:

Q - Who is the course aimed at?

A - It is aimed at people wishing to change career to be a renewable energy installer and plumber to level 2 NVQ.

Q - What are the payment options?

A - Initial payment 50% of course fees with the balance paid by equal payments.  First payment starts 3 months from course start date then 5 further monthly payments** 

** All the course stages may be broken into weekly blocks and taken over an extended period of time if required (payment plan offer excluded from extended time course). 

The 6089 NVQ requires additional onsite assessments to complete the full award, approximately 2.  These are charged at £295 plus VAT per visit.  Although we try, where possible, to combine visits with multiple candidates in the same geographical area, thus reducing all candidates' costs significantly - terms and conditions apply

Q- Do you offer a work placement?

A- Yes, all students wishing to gain additional practical installation of renewable technologies may request an unpaid work placement, normally with ex-PPL trained engineers.  

Q - How do I get more information about the City & Guilds Renewable energy engineer course?

A - Call us on 0845 2600 966 or request a brochure pack

Q- How do I book a place on the City & Guilds Renewable energy engineer course?

A - Book online for your chosen date or call us on 0845 2600 966.

Q- Where do people come from to take City & Guilds Renewable energy engineer course?

A - We train people from all over the UK for the  City & Guilds Renewable energy engineer course; London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Devon, Bristol, East Anglia, North West, Yorkshire, North East, South East, South West, Derbyshire; they come from national plumbing and heating companies, self-employed plumbers, builders, gas engineers and renewable energy engineers.

For more general frequently asked questions please see our main FAQ page.