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Swiftclean Academy, the industry training facility provided by Legionella and ductwork risk experts Swiftclean, is developing new courses for 2025, working in collaboration with vocational education body City & Guilds.
Swiftclean is already one of the few UK training centres to provide expert training in both air and water risk management disciplines, delivered by the company’s own accredited training team, and is set to add the City & Guilds Fire Door Testing course in 2025. In addition to this, Swiftclean is drafting an exclusive new course in Fire Damper Testing, which will be submitted for approval by City & Guilds, and it is expected that this will be delivered as a ‘City & Guilds Assured’ course later in 2025.
Swiftclean’s training facility, initially launched in 2017 to host courses delivered by BESA appointed trainers, was relaunched in 2024 as Swiftclean Academy. Its in-house training team now provides the whole of the South of England with an accredited training centre for BESA Ventilation Hygiene courses, as well as online Highfield Qualifications accredited Legionella prevention training for candidates from across the UK.
Ductwork hygiene courses include BESA Grease Hygiene courses for operatives (GHO), and technicians/supervisors (GHT). These courses ensure that operatives, technicians and supervisors are trained, assessed and passed as competent to provide ductwork cleaning services in compliance with BESA’s TR19® Grease specification. Similarly, Swiftclean Academy delivers BESA Air Hygiene courses for operatives (AHO), technicians and supervisors (AHT) in ventilation hygiene, to ensure that successful candidates are competent to provide services in compliance with BESA’s TR19® Air specification for ventilation ductwork, helping to ensure good indoor air quality in the nation’s buildings.
Swiftclean’s trainers are also certified to deliver two online water hygiene courses: Legionella Control for Responsible Persons Training Level 3, and Legionella Awareness Level 2: Hot and Cold Water Systems, both of which are accredited by Highfield Qualifications. These courses have been developed to equip and enable Duty Holders, Responsible or Deputy Responsible Persons, as well as day to day managers, to manage Legionella risks and maintain healthy water systems by preventing outbreaks of Legionellosis. Both courses are designed to be easily relatable to the candidates’ own sites, so that they can immediately apply the knowledge gained.
Swiftclean Training Manager Richard Crews commented: “Swiftclean’s services are all geared towards risk management and compliance, helping to promote healthy air and water systems in a range of buildings from domestic dwellings to factories, and from corporate offices and public buildings to hospitals, sports venues, schools and hotels. We are very aware of the need to raise both awareness and professional standards across our own industry, so we are pleased to provide training for operatives and technicians, even those from our competitors.
“Once we have achieved compliance for our clients, the facilities or property managers in their buildings are responsible for ensuring that compliance is maintained, especially when it comes to Legionella risk prevention, so training is essential. We strongly believe that managers should have the training to enable them to maintain compliance between to intervals of expert service delivery. Our existing courses help them to do this, and we anticipate that our new Fire Door Inspection and Fire Damper Testing courses, in association with City & Guilds, will help us to further this aim.”
As a company, Swiftclean has been at the forefront of training for its own operatives and technicians for well over a decade. Having also provided some basic training in Legionella prevention for clients for a number of years, Swiftclean was pleased to be able to formalise the provision of recognised vocational training by founding Swiftclean Academy. The Academy now provides accredited courses to assist building managers, and even commercial rivals, to increase their expertise and minimise fire and water hygiene risks.
Prospective candidates can book existing courses via the Swiftclean Academy online portal, and are invited to register their interest in the new courses currently in development.
