It has recently been announced the first ever OFTEC-approved training centre for Northern Ireland to provide OFTEC Solid Fuel Installation training and assessment services. This brings the total number of training establishments offering fuel training services to a grand total of two across Ireland. Certification for Servicing and Commissioning is now available at Micon Distribution, one of the UK and Ireland’s leading stove and fireplace distributors. The course itself exists to offer a great deal of support to industry installers and retailers through the training provided to technicians. In effect, the technically specialist course has the aim of offering individuals the skills and knowledge they require to fulfil building regulation and standards for the installation of dry stoves. This, whilst firstly benefiting the individual themselves, then leads on to supporting the industry with a great deal more available assurances of competencies. Of course, setting the foundations for establishing a solid foundation of support for installers and retailers, Michael Farnan, Managing Director of Micon Distribution highlights that this serves as the next step for the company, and will enable it to provide widely-recognised assessment and training of installers. The courses themselves are available to technicians with a desire to highlight competencies whilst simultaneously offering a recognisable registration and qualification process with a trade association which possesses a spotless working record. As David Bleyings, OFTEC Ireland Manager expressed his delight in bringing Micon on board as an approved centre for Northern Ireland, he also went on to highlight how this very same offering will be able to complement those already being run locally, as well as filling a gap in the market for the provision of such training services. He then went on to add: “For too long there has been a limited offering of solid fuel training in Ireland and we are delighted to be associated with proactive providers like Micon and METAC.”