Guests from industry, government and education gathered at South Eastern Regional College (SERC) Lisburn Campus on Wednesday 29 November as the College launched its new range of CompEx Certification Limited courses on workplace safety in hazardous areas.
SERC is the first and only centre within Northern Ireland to provide CompEx industry-accredited training for those working in hazardous environments.
CompEx training is for people working in a range of industrial sectors including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food manufacturing and utilities. These qualifications are vital in improving workplace safety.
SERC has been officially named a satellite centre of Forth Valley College (FVC), a leading provider of CompEx training in Central Scotland. Thanks to the support of colleagues at FVC, SERC has been able to achieve accreditation to deliver three CompEx courses: Foundation (ExF), Application Design Engineer (Ex12) and Responsible Person (Ex14). Eight SERC staff have recently completed a pilot course to enhance their knowledge and understanding of these important qualifications.
On completing these initial levels at SERC, students can progress to higher qualifications at FVC, using their state-of-the-art workshops.
Launching the new courses, Elaine Flynn, SERC Commercial Contracts Manager, said:
“I am delighted to officially launch this range of courses as SERC becomes the first CompEx approved training centre in Northern Ireland. This development continues the College’s commitment to increasing the skill level in NI industry. It’s important to add that it is possible now to offer these crucial skills in Northern Ireland due to the support of Forth Valley College, and this is the latest initiative in the strong and collaborative relationship between the two colleges which has been building over more than five years.”
Colin McMurray, Vice Principal Business and Innovation at Forth Valley College, said: “Our partnership with SERC has really gone from strength to strength over the last few years and we are absolutely delighted to be involved in this exciting new initiative. Colleagues from both colleges have worked extremely hard to engage with CompEx and complete process to set up a satellite centre in Northern Ireland. FVC has been an established CompEx training provider for more than 25 years, and we pride ourselves in the level of delivery we provide, and the positive feedback we receive from our candidates and the awarding body. This new business venture with SERC – an organisation that shares our values and commitment to providing a high level of training and assessment – will no doubt see this become a very popular training centre and help our partnership to continue to thrive.”
Huw Bement, Managing Director of CompEx, added: “A big welcome to SERC in Northern Ireland, a great addition to our Approved Training Provider network across the world. Hazardous areas occur in many industries and a competent, well-trained workforce is an essential part of mitigating the potential for explosion.”
The event was sponsored by Connected NI, the initiative from the Department for the Economy that supports and promotes collaboration between colleges, universities and industry to exchange knowledge and stimulate innovation.
Attendees at the launch included representatives of Forth Valley College, CompEx Certification Limited, the Department for the Economy NI, the NI Health and Safety Executive, Connected NI and employers.
Visit www.serc.ac.uk to unlock your future #BetterOffAtSERC.
