Following the launch of four new fire detection and alarm qualifications in designing, installing, maintaining, and commissioning of fire detection and alarm equipment earlier this year (as reported here) the Fire Industry Association (FIA) has announced that bookings can now be made on its website.
The courses are full formal qualifications and will lead to a certificate upon completion, which will be equivalent to an A-Level.
“We have designed these courses following the syllabus set by the newly formed Fire Industry Association Awarding Organisation,” said Michael Gregg, the FIA’s Training Manager. “We have put together a robust set of classroom based learning days that will aid learners in their development – not just in preparing for the examinations, but also in a way that aims to improve their overall knowledge and understanding of the knowledge and concepts presented.”
For each qualification there are four units of study; all of which must be passed in order to gain the certificate at the end and be awarded the qualification. This is an important step forward in formalising the process and developing the level of service technicians in the fire detection and alarm industry.
One of the major benefits of taking the new qualifications will be the level of knowledge and experience of the trainers, who will be able to guide learners and prepare them for the examinations. The FIA has invested significantly into developing new course materials which cover everything studied in the courses, explaining each concept in significant detail. By the end of the course, learners should be able to have a much more in-depth knowledge and understanding of their chosen subject area (whether this is in fire detection and alarm design, installation, maintenance, or commissioning).
The new qualifications are available via the Training section of the FIA’s website. Upon making an initial booking, web users will only be able to book the first unit (the Foundation in Fire Detection and Alarms course), and will only be able to progress to the other units until learners have taken and passed the Foundation unit. This is to ensure that learners are learning the material in the right order; progressing from one unit to another with the level of difficultly slowly increasing to ensure learners are fully prepared for each examination.
Upon making a booking for the Foundation unit (the first unit of each of the four qualifications available), each learner will be assigned a Unique Learner Number (ULN). This number will be required to both book further units of the qualification.
For those coming in fresh, this will be an opportunity to get qualified in an industry that is desperate for more technicians. There is a well-known shortage of technicians in the fire detection and alarm industry, and companies are desperate to hire and train new workers.
