EAS Mechanical has opened a new Northampton-based training centre dedicated to the plumbing and mechanical sector.

Based in the town centre, the EAS training centre will offer government-funded apprenticeships in plumbing for individuals employed by Plumbing and H&V companies both locally and further afield. This vocational training pathway will be offered at Levels 1, 2 and 3, on either a day or block release basis. Designed to suit the needs of employers from the wider industry, the first streams will be starting early this year.


In addition to the apprenticeship training, the new centre will provide an extensive range of short courses for existing operatives. This includes the GAS Safe ACS qualification, water regulations, health and safety and alternative energies.


“I am delighted to be opening this centre in Northampton,” said Eamon Wilson, managing director of EAS Mechanical. “Having trained as a plumber and worked as an employer in this area for many years, I believe this is a much-needed resource. My aim is to help train the area’s future generation of craftspeople to the high standard needed within the wider industry, while also helping local employers have greater choice and input into the training they can offer their staff, and themselves.


"The opening of our centre means we can also be among the first to offer the new Level 1 qualification, which will be of real value to the industry. It will help school leavers to decide if plumbing is the right career for them, while also helping employers to ascertain if the candidate is a serious contender for a role in their company. Those who have completed the course should be able to hit the ground running from the outset because of the basic skills they will have learnt."


The centre will also help to upskill local operatives so they are work-ready in an increasingly competitive marketplace. It is equipped with the latest in plumbing training tools and resources, with two main classrooms and a number of practical work and demonstration bays. In addition to this, it has been fitted out with a bespoke GAS training area, where qualified plumbers will be able to gain the necessary qualifications to allow them to work at the advanced gas level.