Nearly £9 million is up for grabs to subsidise specialist net zero courses in retrofitting and energy efficiency.
The package, worth up to £8.85 million, will “heavily” subsidise training courses for aspiring retrofit and insulation experts in England, and is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
It could provide training for up to 8,000 people, according to the department, and will “develop the skills and expertise needed to retrofit homes with energy saving measures”. Training providers can apply for up to £1 million to run the courses.
As well as the costs of the training courses themselves, the fund could cover trainers’ costs, including accommodation and transport, plus any costs trainees take on including accommodation or transport.
The courses will run from this September until the end of March 2024, and comes as the government moves towards its target of reaching net zero by 2050.
Lord Callanan, minister for energy efficiency and green finance, said the fund would mean training providers can “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’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,” he added.
“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.”
The providers will need to show that there is demand for the courses in their area, either by providing minutes of meeting with local providers or job centres or evidence of enquires for the courses. They will also need to prove a track record of delivering courses in construction, energy efficiency or energy assessment.
Teaching could be online or in person.
Most of the courses provided via the funding will focus on insulation in homes, with plans to fund around 5,000 training packages. The rest will focus on retrofit work.
Though the department is funding the project, it is being led by the Midlands Net Zero Hub, which will visit all the training centres to make sure the right courses are being led with the right accreditation, and will also attend the online courses.
The hub will have the power to remove the funding if the providers do not perform, though it will first offer “supportive steps” to providers that are struggling.
Providers will be able to apply to the fund from Friday 28 July by completing a form available here, which should be sent to HDTrainingCompetition@nottinghamcity.gov.uk. They have until 25 August to submit their bids.
A couple of weak spots that I hope are covered.
If there is a massive shortage of professionals for this type of work, where are you going to find trainers and how much of a gap will those trainers leave in the current workforce?
Once we have lots of well trained people, who is going to pay for all this retrofitting? The majority are skint from inflation. The rich are unlikely to be putting their hand in their pocket & government and opposition are effectively the taking the same position on public spending increases.
Perhaps the proceeds from the hope tax (national lottery) could be redirected, that is disproportionately paid for by the less affluent who need the most help.
Pity a fraction of this money cannot be directed to support struggling apprenticeship providers.