Up to 8,000 people will be trained in the skills needed for retrofitting and installing insulation, in a new move to help boost to the green jobs sector, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
The new training, which forms part of the government’s £8.5 million Home Decarbonisation Skills Training scheme, builds on £15 million which has previously been invested in training within the energy efficiency, retrofit and low carbon heating sectors.
A further 4,000 trainees will also receive a £500 discount on training to install and maintain heat networks through the Heat Training Grant.
This also coincides with a new Low Carbon Heating Technician Apprenticeship which provides training in how to install low-carbon heating systems on the job, with the aim of expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to a wider range of families.
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“The UK is a world leader when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, and we’re investing billions of pounds to help decarbonise the nation’s heating, saving homes and businesses energy and cutting bills,” said minister for energy efficiency and green finance Lord Callanan.
“To do that we’re helping to improve the energy efficiency of homes and ensure they have access to cutting-edge low-carbon heating technologies such as heat pumps and heat networks.”
“With consumer demand for these measures set to surge in the coming years, the funding announced today will help to create the skilled workforce that will be needed.”
The move coincides with the Prime Minister’s announcement that he will U-turn on a range of net zero policies including an ease on the transition from traditional boilers to heat pumps:
“We’ll never force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump,” Rishi Sunak said in an announcement yesterday (September 20).
“You’ll only have to make the switch when you’re replacing your boiler anyway, and even then not until 2035”.
