Earlier this month the Social Market Foundation (SMF) held a webinar entitled ‘Installing for time: Transitioning the UK’s home heat workforce on the road to net zero’. It’s no secret that the UK’s Net Zero plans seek to decarbonise the heating of buildings – with homes accounting for 14% of all carbon emissions.
The SMF noted that the problem that has been greatly overlooked in the Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy largely overlooks a vital element of decarbonising heat; training the workers needed to carry out the installations and modifications required.
With a significant proportion of heating and plumbing engineers nearing retirement age, it’s time to have a serious discussion with policymakers around developing support for an apprenticeship framework to increase the recruitment pool. We are joining the SMF in their call to make green technology installation an attractive and fruitful career route to take.
To meet the UK’s commitment to be netzero by 2050, thousands of new jobs will be created to meet the demand of the installation of green technologies. We’re about to launch a new model of training hubs to meet this demand and ensure that decarbonisation programmes can be carried out using local capacity and local capability. Effectively, our proposition will enable the levelling up of the UK’s green energy workforce and create a long-term skills base to wean some 24.5 million homes off gas heating.
In partnership with leading vocational colleges we’re creating an opportunity for training the estimated 50,000 heat pump installers needed to fit one million heat pumps a year by 2030 – according to the Heat Pump Association.
We’re looking to work with councils, colleges and housing associations to build these sustainable skills in the local community. Our unique approach is designed to result in long term economic growth at the same time as decarbonising homes.
Watch this space…green employment is about to become a tangible reality.
#netzero #skillstraining #decarbonisation