Could you be part of the team?
The Boiler Operation Accreditation Scheme has been running for over 12 years now and is in a significantly enhanced and ‘steady state’ of operation after seeing over 3330 successful candidates pass through the scheme up to September 2017.
But what makes a successful training and assessment scheme? One answer in the case of BOAS is the Assessors.
There is no such thing as a typical BOAS Assessor. Sure, they all have a wealth of experience in the operation of steam and hot water boilers, and they have all been associated with the boiler industry in some way for most of their working lives, but they are all different characters and all highly professional individuals. Some have an engineering consultancy background, some come from the H&S world, and some have spent many years operating plant at sea and on shore, but they all know their boilers.
Many of the dozen or so Assessors are retired, a few still have a full time role, and some are also BOAS Trainers; there is nothing wrong with being a BOAS Trainer and an Assessor as long as you do not assess the candidates you have trained. Working in the BOAS scheme is a form of CPD for all those involved – we all learn something new every day from the candidates and the other professionals in the CEA involved in the scheme.
BOAS Assessors love to talk about steam and love to share experiences with their colleagues. They take on the challenge of keeping up-to-date with their industry whilst encouraging the candidates they assess to know more about the plants they operate and increase their own knowledge. A BOAS Assessment is a structured and quite rigorous process, but Assessors come away from their candidate interviews with the satisfaction of seeing good boilermen becoming safer and better boiler operators, and their managers and supervisors knowing more about their roles and the laws and best practices that underpin the industry.
Boiler explosions and related dangerous occurrences are rare in this country, and this is no accident. Trained boiler operators and managers are now required to have BOAS by some employers, and insurance inspectors are looking for trained operatives when they inspect plant – it is a legal requirement to be trained for work activities, after all.
The CEA awarded Kiwa the task of managing the BOAS assessment process and organising the Assessors. They are always on the lookout for new Assessors to join the team. A steady increase in the numbers being trained, plus the addition of a new category of operator and the continual five yearly renewals mean that the BOAS scheme is going from strength to strength. Do you think you could join in with our success?
Please apply to Andrew Mathews at [email protected] or Dave Kilpatrick at [email protected]. We look forward to welcoming you to the team.
