A Case Study in ICorr’s Course Due Diligence Process
The PFP (Passive Fire Protection) Inspector Cementitious Course L2 and L3 will soon be released for enrolment. Like other ICorr accredited courses, these deliver world-leading training within a specific specialism. They build upon our existing PFP training to broaden and deepen our offering in this crucial market competence.
This article dives into our due diligence process. It gives you a flavour of our rigorous approach to ensuring that the training courses we provide:
- Excel in the content provided;
- Meet the expectations of the market; and
- Are delivered in a format that is most appropriate for course delivery and for course participants.
Our courses are offered directly by ICorr or, like the PFP courses and others, through a third-party training provider.
Why Is There a Need to Focus on Cementitious Passive Fire Protection?
The hydrocarbon PFP market is divided between the supply of epoxy and cementitious coatings. Traditionally, epoxy is mostly used offshore because of its weight advantages over cementitious, while cementitious is more often used onshore. However, in recent years we have witnessed a shift in the use of epoxy in onshore assets as the price for the product and application has come closer to cementitious.
There are also new cementitious products that perform extremely well, even in a jet fire scenario. As such new products become available, the market needs professionals who understand their capabilities and limitations, and how to utilise their strengths.
In terms of area coated, the ratio of cementitious applications outnumber epoxy coatings by a high margin. This being said, there are regional discrepancies. For example, the U.S.A is currently using a lot of epoxy onshore.
In summary, the market is calling for professionals to be better qualified in cementitious PFP because it is both more prevalent and the advances being made require more advanced knowledge and skills.
How Has the PFP Cementitious Course Been Developed?
As with all training courses accredited by ICorr, there is a multi-step development process.
The first of these steps is for ICorr to identify and commission course development and delivery. In this case, ICorr turned to PFPNet.
PFPNet was established with the remit of increasing understanding and competency across the whole hydrocarbon passive fire protection industry. Its primary goal is to ensure that all those responsible for manufacturing, specifying, installing, maintaining, inspecting, and purchasing PFP have the knowledge available to them to avoid potentially hazardous and expensive mistakes.
PFPNet employed an industry expert with over 30 years’ broad experience in cementitious fire protection to write the content of the course. This work was then reviewed by PFPNet members with detailed experience from supply, design, application, and inspection of cement-based products.
The final work was to blend the cementitious specific course material with the general fire protection training which had been developed for the epoxy PFP inspector course.
Approving and testing the course
With the course written, it is passed to ICorr’s Surface Treatment Governing Board (STGB). The STGB identifies suitable reviewers and, upon the course appraisal, will make recommendations to ensure that the new course meets the standards required for approval to be given. However, this approval is not the end of the journey.
Subsequent to approval, ICorr runs a Pilot Course. This is attended by experts within the industry, including manufacturers and applicators. The date for this pilot course is September 2023, and it will be presented at the Institute of Mechanical (IMechE) in Sheffield, UK. ICorr has recently signed a 10-year extension to its strategic partnership with IMechE to deliver industry-leading corrosion and coatings trainings.
This course will be presented by Mike Ogles, who has more than 30 years’ experience in passive fire protection with both cementitious and epoxy materials. He has been involved in the testing, specification application and general support for these products with a global knowledge.
Final Sign-Off
Those attending the pilot course provide extensive feedback. This is used by the course developer to make adjustments to the course, which is then re-submitted to the STGB for its final review and sign-off. It is only at this stage that the course can be released and marketed to industry.
Course Format
These new Cementitious PFP courses have been designed to be delivered in a blended format by IMechE as follows:
- L2 is either an online or classroom course.
- L3 is in 3 parts:
- A pre-learning package.
- 3 days of classroom which includes an exam.
- A Peer Review, which is conducted by PFPNet.
Pre-Register to Reserve Your Place on the PFP Inspector Cementitious Course L2 and L3
This article has outlined the rigorous approach that ICorr and its partners takes to developing, marketing, and presenting training within the corrosion industry. It’s why our training is so widely recognised as being world-class and industry-leading.
We anticipate the PFP Inspector Cementitious Course L2 and L3 will be launched in September 2023 after final sign-off has been received.
Though (at the time of writing) the course is not yet being marketed, we are accepting pre-registrations (we currently have 35 pre-registrations). If you would like to pre-register, please contact Dale O’Reilly at IMechE (Dale.O’Reilly@IMECHE.org).