South Eastern Regional College (SERC) has been named as an accredited Fujitsu Training Academy.

The Academy is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and has been designed to support the industry with skills development. 

To officially launch the Academy, Fujitsu has donated an industry standard heating and air conditioning system to the College which will ensure that the engineers of tomorrow have the skills to operate and maintain modern heat recovery technology.

Fujitsu has donated and installed the new system at the college’s Lisburn campus which will be used to upskill both engineers already working in the sector as well as SERC apprentices.

Martyn Ives, technical manager at Fujitsu Air Conditioning, said: “We have been very impressed with the College and the vast array of equipment that apprentices train on and are delighted to have the opportunity to provide equipment that will enhance training and skills development. Air conditioning systems offer simultaneous heating and cooling to different parts of a building to maximise energy efficiency. Engineers working on them need to have the appropriate training.”

Terry Nickels, refrigeration and air conditioning lecturer at SERC, said: “This new technology will allow our apprentices and engineers in the sector to train on the latest heat recovery equipment. We pride ourselves on developing work ready graduates and modern equipment is critical to enable us to do this. I really want to thank Fujitsu for their generous donation. This will give engineers and apprentices the opportunity to work with and train on the latest equipment, giving them the skills they need to be successful in the sector and maintain a competitive edge.”

The collaboration between SERC and Fujitsu will equip the workforce with the latest skills base, help with career progression and meet the increasing demand for highly skilled engineers within the agri-food, air-conditioning and refrigeration industry.

For more information about SERC visit www.serc.ac.uk 

Pictured right at SERC’s SPACE campus: Fujitsu technical manager Martyn Ives and SERC lecturers Jesse Daske and Terry Nickels.