The Government is inviting training providers to bid for a share of an £8.85m fund aimed at training thousands in retrofitting and insulation installation.
The scheme, launched today by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, aims to provide free or highly discounted training to around 8,000 individuals.
The initiative is open to current installers and newcomers to the industry, and it aims to equip them with the necessary skills and expertise to retrofit homes with energy-saving measures.
The course modules will cover key aspects of energy efficiency, such as loft insulation installation and draft proofing.
The training not only aims to reduce household energy bills and emissions but also provides significant employment opportunities, with training providers having until August 25th, 2023, to apply for the funding. Training places are expected to become available later this year.
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “We’re investing billions of pounds to improve energy efficiency across the country…we need an army of skilled professionals able to install insulation and other energy-saving measures in homes across the country.”
The initiative, titled the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training Competition, will support successful organisations in providing training and assistance to installers, contributing to the growth of the supply chain and upskilling individuals. This will facilitate organisations in obtaining PAS 2030 certification, a requirement for all energy efficiency installers participating in government-funded schemes.
Training courses will run until March 31st, 2024, with two main packages on offer: retrofit assessor and retrofit coordinator training, and insulation installation training.
This scheme builds on the £15m provided since 2020 for skills training, which has already offered at least 16,000 opportunities in the energy efficiency, retrofit and low carbon heating sector. The training initiative will also run parallel to the £5m Heat Training Grant, aimed at training more than 10,000 low-carbon heating installers by April 2025.
The Government’s £6.6bn investment over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings is part of its broader strategy for reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuel heating, with an additional £6bn in funding projected for 2025 to 2028.
