There are fears within the industry that the July 2011 deadline for individual certification under F-Gas Regulations may be impossible to meet.

According to Develop Training, there are 35,000 gas engineers currently not trained to required standards. The company has expressed concerns that a sudden surge in registrations before next summer's deadline could leave many struggling to find training, subsequently leading to some working illegally.

The first part of the EU F-Gas Regulations was introduced in 2007. Since July 2009, any company which employs engineers working under the regulations must have a company certificate. From July 2011, this will be extended to individuals. Anyone carrying out service, maintenance, recovery or leak checking on refrigeration covered by the regulation must have completed one of the updated national qualifications.

"We estimate that in total, around 3,000 have signed up across the country," said Mark Dougall, electrical, mechanical and business services director at Develop Training. "We are worried about this for two reasons: not only will individuals be fined if they don't gain their qualifications, but we may also see a shortage of engineers able to legally undertake important servicing and maintenance work."

He added: "July 2011 may seem like a long way off at the moment, but finding vacancies with trainers will become increasingly difficult nearer the deadline."

For more information, visit www.defra.gov.uk/fgas.