The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced £8.85 million in funding to train up to 8,000 people in retrofitting and installing insulation to reduce energy consumption in UK households.
The money will be allocated to training providers across England to run programmes which will be free or heavily discounted. The announcement comes on the heels of a similar move at the start of July to offer engineers £500 to train to install heat pumps at training providers across England.
Training providers like colleges and accreditation providers will be able to bid for a share of the £8.85 million funding to offer the courses, which will help homes to decarbonise and meet the government’s net zero targets.
The courses will be available for those with experience and those new to the industry, and will cover a range of key energy efficiency measures like installing loft insulation to draft proofing.
Providers have until 25 August to apply for the funding to deliver courses which are expected to open later this year.
We’re aiming to train up to 8,000 people in retrofitting and insulation installation 🏘️
— Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (@energygovuk) July 25, 2023
From today, training providers can bid for a share of £8.85 million to host courses through the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training competition.
Find out more 👇 https://t.co/wTkk2DYkNI pic.twitter.com/qR4MpeS3QR
Lord Callanan, minister for energy efficiency and green finance, said: “We’re investing billions of pounds to improve energy efficiency across the country – saving households hundreds on their bills while making sure Britain’s homes are fit for the future.”
“Today’s funding will give training providers the opportunity to put on the courses needed to help create the skilled workforce ready to join this rapidly-growing market, with people able to benefit from these courses at low or no cost.”
“We’ve already helped millions of people to do this, but we need an army of skilled professionals able to install insulation and other energy-saving measures in homes across the country.”
Less than half of homes in England have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above, and DESNZ believes there is a lot of room for improvement with the right funding.
The Home Decarbonisation Skills Training Competition phase 1 has already awarded £9.2 million in 2022 to fund training for people working in the energy efficiency, retrofit and low carbon heating sectors, with the funding going to training providers around the country. The aim of this fund was to deliver 9,000 training courses across England in the building retrofit, energy efficiency and heat pump sectors.
Successful training providers for the new fund will help build the decarbonisation supply chain and upskill workers with the PAS 2030 certification, an industry qualification which all energy efficiency installers need to participate in government funded schemes.
Training will be delivered until 31 March 2024 and will be focused on training retrofit assessors and coordinators, and insulation installers.
Derek Horrocks, chairman of the National Insulation Association (NIA) and the National Home Decarbonisation Group (NHDG), said: “I am delighted to see the government is committing further funding towards retrofit skills and training through the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training Competition.”
“Achievement of energy efficiency targets is vital to ensure that millions of people across the country can enjoy a warmer, healthier home. A fundamental requirement for achieving this ambition is building a workforce of sufficient size and skill to deliver. Our members look forward to collaborating with all those working to develop green skills and make this competition a success.”
David Pierpoint, chief executive of The Retrofit Academy, said: “The Home Decarbonisation Skills Competition is an essential vehicle for increasing capacity while maintaining high standards and we welcome the government’s £8.85 million funding allocation.”
“It is essential we use this funding to unlock more talent, upskill workforces and drive the infrastructure required to decarbonise the UK housing stock and we intend to continue our partnerships with the government and industry to build on the 5,000 learners we have already enrolled onto our range of retrofit training courses.”
DESNZ says £15 million has been provided since 2020 for skills training, which has delivered at least 16,000 opportunities in the energy efficiency, retrofit and low carbon heating sector.
The ministry added that “These schemes are part of the £6.6 billion government is investing over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel heating. In addition, £6 billion of new government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028.”
