Page 40 - Gi Dec 2020 / Jan 2021

igem news

CEO UPDATE

IN THE Programme will provide an interesting

pathway to registration. In parallel to
this, the Membership Committee is
revisiting the attractiveness and clarity
of the guidance and help provided
DOWNSTREAM to prospective registrants from the
installer community.
Gas safety is critical with easy access
to good quality CPD and training
essential. IGEM’s Gas Industry Unsafe
Situations Procedure (the IGEM G/11
standard) is just relaunching and so
we are providing a new online training
resource, accessible on our new
e-learning platform. This move, together
with additional e-learning content
accessible at the time and place of need
will be, we believe, an attractive and
valuable offering to those working in
the downstream. Full credit for this, and
more, is due here to members of IGEM’s
downstream technical committees.
Throughout 2020, IGEM has been
expanding access to resources to
members on its webpages. This
includes valuable content and
technically-focused topics, all hosted
on IGEMtv. Such expansion of technical
resources will continue to build though
2021. We are also planning greater
provision of technical articles through
an extension of Gi. Our working group
members are now actively sourcing and
IGEM CEO Neil Atkinson explains how Engineering reviewing content stream for this. If this
Technicians will be an essential part of the gas industry’s prompts interest to help do let us know.
IGEM continues to support ‘gas’
future and how IGEM intends to support this key group skills in the Housing Sector. The
in the years ahead institution is now in its second year
of auditing Authorised Training
WITH THE ENERGY transition upon can do more for those working in the Providers. This is an important
us, our industry is at a fork in the road. utilisation space, including those initiative to raise standards across the
Perform well and we have a bright, who are working towards or who sector and will be maintained.
interesting future with high quality jobs have attained the level of Engineering In addition, IGEM is helping to
ahead. Conversely, the industry faces a Technician (EngTech). In fact, IGEM develop contextualised professional
terminal decline if it does not respond has several member-led initiatives standards for those working with gas in
with excellence. underway in this area that will come to high rise residential buildings and fully
Evidently, it is important for us to fruition in 2021. expects these standards to be deployed
attract, retain and develop all who operate Ben Kuchta has succeeded Philippa as a response to the Grenfell tragedy.
within the sector. IGEM has a clear role Wrenn to take leadership of our The energy transition provides a
to play here. We recognise the need Engineering Technician working real opportunity to change the face
to support engineers and technicians, group. The group has a number of of the industry and for it to become a
not just through access to professional workstreams in development – all preferred destination as a source of
registration, but also through the intended to provide value to operatives, essential, green jobs accessible to all.
provision of valuable support and technicians and installers. To do so, we must seize the opportunity
unique membership benefits. Gary Tomlin, Dave Tomkin and this presents as a profession. And by
At the time of writing, IGEM is Steve Critchlow are leading efforts to doing so, we will create a younger and
preparing for its online conference develop a unique modular technical more diverse technical workforce to
Gas Utilisation: Forces for Change, programme for aspiring EngTechs, take the industry forward – downstream
further demonstrating its sustained completion of which will demonstrate and upstream.
commitment to the downstream sector, the required underpinning gas And as always, IGEM will be there
despite the challenges of the pandemic. knowledge for the grade. to provide help and resources as they
However, it has been said that IGEM This Gas Fundamentals Learning undertake their professional journeys.

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