New training academy could help plug renewables skills gap

The Greenworks Training Academy is a partnership between Greenworks, the umbrella sustainable products brand of builders merchants Jewson and plumbers merchant Graham, and PPL Training, the microgeneration renewable energy training provider.

It will offer 20 specialist training courses, some aimed at qualified electricians and plumbers, some aimed at designers and architects and anyone else interested in renewable technologies.

Initially, courses will be available in York, Brighouse, Nottingham and Carmarthen College, although Greenworks says it is currently looking to extend its provision into sites around London, the South of England and Scotland.

The courses will cover everything from the installation of solar photovoltaic systems and biomass boilers to the design of underfloor heating systems and renewable energy awareness, awarding nationally-recognised qualifications from bodies such as Bpec and NICEIC.

According to James Booth, managing director at PPL Training: “Renewable energy training is one of the most important challenges that the construction industry will face in the coming years, as the demand for qualified and experienced installers increases rapidly.”

Alan Penny, business development director at Greenworks, added: “From training right through to implementation, installers now have greater access to technical expertise and skills required to install cutting edge sustainable technologies. What’s more, the training courses support the work needed to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes.”

Meanwhile, Hampshire-based training company, New Career Skills, is launching a new course for 2009 to enable people to become Domestic Green Engineers (DGEs).

New Career Skills’ ceo, Steven Wines, said he was ex-pecting the course to be extremely popular. “The Government’s pledge to tackle climate change means there is plenty of work out there already, with more to come. There are 26 million homes in the UK and when any of these are sold or rented, it will be advisable to use a properly accredited DGE to show them how to reduce carbon emissions and install clean, green energy solutions.”

This anticipated demand for tradespeople with experience of sustainable solutions and renewable technologies is expected to be fuelled by a number of Government initiatives to make homes in the UK low carbon, including the Code for Sustainable Homes. Under Government guidelines, all new homes need to generate at least 15 per cent of their energy from renewable sources by 2016, and the Code for Sustainable Homes will measure the sustainability of new homes against nine categories of sustainable design and will award each home a star rating to indicate its overall performance, offering builders a useful tool with which to differentiate themselves in a tough market.

The Heat and Energy Saving (HES) strategy aims to give an affordable green makeover – including low-carbon heat and power – to millions of UK homes by 2020 and for every home to be low-carbon by 2050. Again, it is expected to create a significant boost in demand for suppliers and fitters of renewable technologies.