DAIKIN OPENS ITS NEW MANCHESTER TRAINING ACADEMY

  Posted by: electime      16th January 2026

Daikin, the global leader in the heating, cooling and ventilation industry, officially opened its new Manchester Training Academy today, raising the bar for HVAC training in the North of England.

Daikin’s new training academy features a host of fresh resources to enable the training of new and experienced heat pump installers, along with the installation of renewables technology to support the drive towards net zero in the Manchester region and beyond.

The academy’s new facilities feature three state-of-the-art training rooms equipped with the latest Daikin technology, providing participants with direct access to the equipment they’ll be installing in the field. This hands-on approach ensures trainees gain practical experience and confidence with industry-leading systems before stepping onto their first real-world job site.

A standout addition is a realistic house frontage complete with a living room and airing cupboard, featuring a fully operational heating and cooling system. This immersive setup allows participants to practice installations in conditions that closely replicate actual domestic environments, building confidence and competence in real-world scenarios.

The academy also includes an interactive zone dedicated to virtual reality training and a wall of interactive controls, offering innovative learning methods that complement traditional hands-on instruction. These cutting-edge additions ensure trainees develop both the technical skills and practical understanding needed to excel as professional heat pump installers.

Tomoji Miki, Daikin UK’s Managing Director commented: “Daikin enjoys a special relationship with the Manchester region. Since 2022 we have generated £0.5 million in social value for the city-region. This includes donating 40 heat pumps to the Embassy Village charity and training 35 college tutors.

“The growing appetite for low carbon heating, and a nationwide shortage of trained engineers, means there has never been a better time for installers to upskill into heat pumps. With the transformation of our Manchester Training Academy, we are better equipped to provide the most advanced training to local tradespeople.”

Speaking at the Manchester Training Academy launch event, Daniel Dickinson, GMCA’s Low Carbon Programme and policy Lead said: “Daikin’s commitment to investing in skills development and low-carbon technology in Greater Manchester is helping us build the green workforce we need to achieve our 2038 carbon neutrality target.”

James Harries, Head of Climate Change and Sustainability Service at Trafford Council added: “I’m pleased to welcome the opening of Daikin’s new training facility in the Trafford area. It will help the region’s residents and businesses decarbonise their heating and cooling. In turn this will help to create and support hundreds of well-paid and secure jobs across the region and the North of England.”

The opening of the new academy comes at a key moment for Daikin, having recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. This is part of a landmark five-year collaboration agreement aimed at scaling up low-carbon heating across the city-region and delivering its 2038 carbon neutrality target.

The agreement strengthens a two-year partnership that has already delivered £0.5 million in social value to the city-region through innovative technology projects. Key achievements include installing 1,500 heat pumps across Greater Manchester, with many benefiting social housing tenants; donating and installing 40 heat pumps at the Embassy Village homeless facility in the city centre; training 35 college tutors who will educate hundreds of young people in heat pump installation; and developing low carbon heating educational resources now being taught in 10 local schools, with plans for city-region-wide rollout.

The Daikin Training Academy offers a comprehensive range of training courses, including Daikin product courses and industry-accredited training for heat pump and renewables installers, social housing providers and developers. In addition, the academy also offers installation training on Daikin’s low temperature, high temperature, hybrid, and air-to-air cooling and heating solutions – starting at level 1 through to level 3 and service, fault finding and maintenance courses for different technologies.

Trades who are interested in finding out more about training opportunities at the Manchester academy, should visit: www.daikintraining.co.uk