One of the first people to successfully complete the new VRQ in Gas Safety Management for Social Housing was Dave Watts, Gas Section Team Leader at Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (K&C TMO). With the organisation responsible for just under 10,000 properties and 6,500 of them having a gas supply, gas safety is a crucial issue for Dave and his team.
K&C TMO is a tenant led organisation which maintains numerous properties for Kensington and Chelsea Council. He has over 4,500 gas appliances to help maintain and also another 2,000 having gas for cooking but no other appliances. Dave Watts heads a team of three people and a gas contractor and between them they maintain and manage all gas related issues.
Dave took the VRQ in Gas Safety Management in Social Housing to improve his knowledge and understanding of Gas Safety issues. He commented: “The course was very good. I thought I knew a lot about the job, but the course gave me much more information, particularly on the technical side. I installed boilers for a living nearly 20 years ago and then progressed to management and running contractors. This course has filled a gap in the market and will enable management to keep on top of the role with the latest information on compliance and best practice.”
Having successfully completed the course, Dave has now started the VRQ for Facilities Management, which has some overlap with the one for Social Housing, but addresses other specific issues. The FM VRQ includes extra modules covering commercial catering and larger industrial appliances which Dave has found to be of particular value.
Dave explains: “The VRQ in Social Housing has been invaluable in helping me to carry out my current role, making me feel more confident in my role and filling in gaps in my knowledge. My future at the K & C TMO is not certain due to restructures within the organisation and I wanted to keep my skills and qualifications up to date so that I am prepared for any role that might be appropriate for me. So I decided to take the VRQ in FM as well. This is also a very good course and has given me a much broader knowledge which should increase my employability and value as an employee.”
“Once I have completed the second course I should be very well qualified for any role in gas management.”
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