Over the next few months, we’ll be introducing you to some of the many people at Ideal who help us to deliver everything from high-quality products and training, to installer incentives and customer care.
First up, allow us to introduce, Ian Judd.
Ian, what is your position at Ideal?
I’m the National Training Manager here at Ideal.
What does your role involve?
Training is of upmost importance at Ideal, so my role is to co-ordinate training courses and staff in different locations across the UK.
On the ground, I look after the Centre’s of Excellence at Leeds and Reading along with the training centre in Hull. I also manage a number of satellite training facilities, which we utilise for product training; helping to reduce the amount of time an installer has to spend traveling to attend a training course. For training roadshows, which we run regularly, we have two mobile training vehicles, which allow us to take the training directly to our customers.
My role also includes creating new training courses, which will be rolled out nationwide. This involves the creation of all course material from concept to presentation or identifying a need for an accredited training course that can be accessed via a certification body.
As a department we also look after internal customer training for Ideal’s team of engineers, help and service lines.
How many years’ experience do you have?
I joined British Gas as an apprentice in 1977 and have been in the gas industry ever since. Over the years, I have also worked in an engineering and management role for Calor Gas and Orbit Housing Association.
Before joining Ideal in July 2012, I worked as a Trainer and Assessor for an independent ACS centre and another boiler manufacturer. So, in short, 36 years!
Do you have any top tips that can help installers?
Always look at what a modern appliance is trying to tell you if it is not working correctly. The days of ripping a boiler apart when it is not working are long gone. With the sophisticated control and management systems on today’s range of boilers, as long as the boiler has electric power, it will give you some vital clues as to where any problem lies. The same advanced systems on the Logic+ and Vogue will provide the commissioning engineer with most of the information they require for the Benchmark/Commissioning document.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from an installer?
“You ought to take a look at those new Ideal boilers, they’re not a bad bit of kit now!”
This gem was received whilst I was delivering a training course for another boiler manufacturer!
What’s the most important piece of advice you would offer an Installer?
Number one, keep yourself up-to-date by attending training courses on new appliances and technologies. Never view training as a day lost to your business. If approached correctly, time spent in the training centre will be regained tenfold on the patch with first time and speedy fixes on the appliances on which you have received training.
Number two, be aware of funding schemes that may be available to you and your customers, attending a manufacturers course is a great source of information on many current schemes.
What’s the best thing about working at Ideal Boilers?
I work with a fantastic group of people, the training world is always changing and this creates a dynamic environment to work within. I interact with all departments within our business and I encounter people daily that are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and happy to share their wealth of experience.
The best thing about working at Ideal is what makes Ideal the best, the people within the business.
How can I get on an Ideal training course?
To book on an Ideal training course and/or receive further information about the courses we have available email: technical.training@idealheating.com or telephone: 01482 498432 and we’ll be happy to help.