The government has offered heating engineers a cut-price deal on training to encourage more of them to become qualified heat-pump installers.
Engineers can get £500 towards the cost of courses – typically £600 – through the government’s £5m Heat Training Grant, with the wider scheme expected to encourage 6,000 engineers to upgrade their skills.
Over 60 training centres across England are already approved for the scheme, the government says, while more are encouraged to sign up.
Meanwhile, the newly launched Heat Training Grant Competition for heat networks has also opened for training providers.
They can bid for £500 discounts to train up to 4,000 people with the necessary skills.
The government wants to see more training providers across England “nurture” and grow a “fresh brigade” of engineers for these, too, by offering courses to improve both installation and maintenance.
To that end, interested providers are being encouraged to apply through the Heat Training Grant Competition before the 8 August.
The government has also launched its Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition, offering £30m to grow the country’s manufacturing base for heat-pump technology.
The aim is to build 270,000 heat pumps or components every year in the UK from 2028.
Additionally, it’s expected to create up to 3,000 jobs, and generate up to £270m of private sector investment into the domestic heat-pump supply chain.
The government wants to see 600,000 heat pumps installed a year by 2028 – but without the capacity to deliver then it’s just a number.
Lord Callanan, minister for energy efficiency and green finance, said the training initiative will give the shift from gas boilers to heat pumps a “huge boost” by ensuring that workforce is in place.
“Heat pumps and heat networks are critical technologies for decarbonising heat – and play an important role in the country’s push towards net-zero,” he added.
“With consumer demand set to surge in the coming years, we have committed to helping industry manufacture our own heat pumps, and we will need thousands more expert installers ready for action.”
Industry figures have welcomed the move and some of the sector’s prominent companies are expected to offer discounts of their own to participating trainees, on top of the government’s offer.
These could include product vouchers, additional training, and other support.
Worcester Bosch’s director of technical services, Martyn Bridges, said the company is “delighted” to support this training initiative.
“We have a tough job ahead to achieve the net-zero targets and with home heating accounting for around 15% of the country’s C02 emissions then the heating industry has a large part to play,” he added.
“[W]e at Worcester have also added a number of free-of-charge training courses for the successful recipients of the funding who choose to undertake the training at one of our centres.”
Mark Wilkins, Vaillant’s technology and training director, said: “One of the biggest barriers to a rapidly growing heat-pump market is the availability of large numbers of skilled installers, and this funding initiative is a key element to help the UK achieve our decarbonisation targets.”
The Heat Pump Association’s chief executive, Charlotte Lee, also welcomed the launch of the Heat Training Grant.
She said: “Creating a large, highly skilled heat pump installer base is essential for expanding heat-pump rollout in the UK and is a priority for the association and its members.
“Heat pumps are a key aspect of decarbonising home heating and are central to achieving the government’s net-zero targets.
“We encourage heating engineers to make use of the Heat Training Grant to undertake subsidised training and expand their skill set and future proof their business.”
Read more: Manchester Council set to approve £60m energy efficiency and decent homes programme
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