4
DECEMBER 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
New online
learning
platform
Building specifiers,
merchants, architectural ironmongers, door
manufacturers and door
hardware professionals
are the beneficiaries of
a new Education Hub
being developed by the
Guild of Architectural
Ironmongers (GAI) in
the UK.
The GAI Education Hub
puts online for the first
time the huge wealth of
educational resources produced by the GAI for those
studying for its Certificate
in Architectural Hardware,
the GAI Diploma and the
Guild’s ongoing CPD programme.
The GAI has been providing an education, qualification and CPD programme
for the international
architectural ironmongery
industry since 1961. It provides the only recognised
programme in the world
that leads to a qualification
in architectural ironmongery
to British and European
standards.
There are more than 2,500
GAI Diploma holders to
date. Students on the GAI
education programme come
from 23 different countries,
and 44% of those who
studied last year were from
outside the UK.
Maria Powell, president of
the GAI says:
“Students will now be
guided through their learning in a much more accessible and engaging way. We
are entirely transforming the
Diploma syllabus, putting
learning resources online
and making them available
to hardware professionals
throughout the world.
“Essential content, ease of
understanding and global
access are vital to the new
Education Hub. This new
GGF Group Forms New
Inspections Company
RISA (Rushworth
Inspection Services
& Auditing) Ltd is the
name of a brand new
inspections subsidiary
company set up by the
Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF Group).
RISA Ltd will initially
undertake inspections and
auditing work within the
replacement glazing sector
and it will be taking over all
FENSA’s inspections from
resource from the GAI is
taking learning into the 21st
century, offering an enhanced, interactive learning
platform to an international
audience.”
Rachel Tipton, GAI’s education manager, said:
“The impetus for change
to the GAI’s education
programme and the idea
for the Education Hub was
prompted by recommendations from a working party
of our members and past
and present students.
“They identified the
changes needed to the core
curriculum, and decided
that the method of delivery
should be entirely online,
be adapted and enhanced
to include modern learning
processes, and be globally
accessible.”
The GAI’s Certificate in
Architectural Hardware
consists of two stages
with a total of 24 updated
education modules covering everything a practicing
architectural ironmonger
is required to know. The
modules include helpful
explanations, animations
and video clips, all geared
to engage learners in easily
digestible chunks.
Further information,
including a taster of
the e-learning modules,
testing knowledge of basic
scheduling considerations
for door hardware
products, is available
at: http://www.gai.org.
uk/gai/education-4/theeducation-hub
February 2016.
Nigel Rees, GGF Group
Chief Executive, a RISA Ltd
Director commented: “This
substantial investment by
the GGF Group in this new
business presents an extremely exciting opportunity. There will be benefits to
window and door installers
because of better control
of inspections costs in the
coming years which should
keep future price increases
at a minimum. Installers will
see no change in the FENSA
inspections and processes
and most will have the same
inspector as currently.”
“We expect RISA Ltd will
quickly become a major
contributor to the whole
GGF Group,” adds Rees.
RISA Ltd will be based in
the GGF Group building in
London SE1.
www.ggf.org.uk
North East
Panels Makes
Supplier Switch
North East Panels has made the
switch to Avocet’s new ATK snap
secure lock.
The Washington-based company, which
produces over 400 completed door units
per week, will be fitting the new TS007
3-star rated and SS312 Diamond accredited Euro cylinder on all of its Secured by
Design doors. Avocet’s Affinity door handle
will also now be fitted as standard on all
the company’s SBD doors, along with its bar
handles.
Jimmy Wood, North East Panels’ national
sales manager, said the difficult decision to
switch suppliers was straightforward given
Avocet’s reputation.
The new ATK lock delivers protection
against lock-snapping and features Avocet’s
patented locking cam system which secures
against common attacks such as snapping,
bumping and drilling.
The new range includes one of the only
Sold Secure and Secured by Design rated
thumbturn locks on the market. Incorporating Avocet’s new click secure system, it
uses a positive click turn action, meaning it
can’t be bypassed with wire tools that make
many other thumbturns a major security
risk.
ATK also comes with a standard key allowing locksmiths to produce them quic