What it is:
Introducing our new community initiative: #BurningQuestions. We’re excited to engage our members and wider community, giving you a chance to ask your questions to gas industry experts.
#BurningQuestions fosters knowledge sharing and strengthens our sense of community.
If you have someone in particular you'd love to hear from, why not submit their details below?
How to participate:
-
Ask your questions: ask up to three questions. Comment them on our social posts or submit them on the form below by the 15th of every month
-
Answers published: Answers will be published in Flame at the end of each month, so make sure to subscribe if you aren't already. (All IGEM members should automatically receive Flame, so if you don't please let us know and we can look into it for you).
-
Submit an expert or topic: If there is someone in the industry you'd like to hear from, put their name forward below and we will do the rest. If there is a topic you would like covered you can also submit this below.
Please note: While we aim to answer as many questions as possible, we’ll select the most relevant and thought-provoking ones to feature each month.
May's Education panel: Developing tomorrow’s engineers
(Submit your questions by 15 May)
Dave Williams, Design Co-ordinator at National Gas, is a passionate advocate for apprenticeships and skills development in the gas industry. Starting as an apprentice in 2007, he has built a career spanning technical, supervisory, and engineering roles, gaining expertise in asset management, integrity engineering, and workforce development.
With experience mentoring apprentices, assessing NVQ candidates, and leading professional development initiatives, Dave has played a key role in supporting new talent in the industry. His insight into training and career progression makes him a valuable expert for our May Q&A on education and apprenticeships.
Richard Harper started his career as an apprentice service engineer with the West Midlands Gas Board and has over 45 years’ experience within the gas utilisation industry. He has carried out a range of roles, including installation and maintenance work, heating breakdowns, and gas emergency call-outs.
The latter part of Richard’s career has focused on technical safety and compliance. He is currently responsible for managing the Standard Setting Body, which sets the training and assessment requirements for Gas Safe registered engineers.
Richard supports Energy & Utility Skills in identifying the skills gap for net zero and helped develop a hydrogen training and assessment programme for utilisation engineers. He is also involved in the review of apprenticeships and is keen to ensure that the industry attracts the talent required for the future.
Rob Anderson has worked in the plumbing, heating, and domestic gas industry for over 26 years.
He began his career as an Apprentice Technical Engineer at British Gas, later becoming a Safety Assurance Engineer. In this role, he conducted carbon monoxide (CO) incident investigations for the Health and Safety Executive and energy suppliers, and prepared expert witness reports for Coroners’ Courts.
Rob has also mentored and trained engineers—a role he particularly enjoyed. His passion for developing talent led him to join Crowcon Gas Detection Instruments in 2019, where he managed key national accounts and offered technical support. He also built relationships with training centres and represented the company at industry events.
In 2022, Rob became a lecturer at Abingdon & Witney College, designing and delivering a gas curriculum for Level 3 apprentices, with a focus on practical skills and Gas Safe registration.
He joined Ideal Heating’s Expert Academy in October 2024 as Technical Training Manager. Rob says, “This role allows me to stay at the forefront of industry developments while giving back to the trade.”
He is a registered engineering professional with the Engineering Council and an active IGEM ambassador, promoting carbon monoxide safety across the industry.
Ask your questions:
Submit your ideas: who do you want to hear from? Which topics should we cover?
Previous #BurningQuestions Q&As:
