Government commits to attracting heat pump installers
UK: With the number of heat pump installations expected to double this year, the UK government says it is committed to establishing the right conditions to attract more skilled engineers.
Replying to claims by the Environmental Audit Committee that government plans to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 could fail without more skilled engineers, BEIS minister Lord Callanan said the government “was committed to establishing a visible, long-term market that creates the right environment to attract professionals to train to become heat pump installers”.
Last week, the Heat Pump Association, which represents around 95% of the heat pump manufacturing market share, revealed that manufactures have placed orders with their supply chains to deliver a total of 67,000 units in 2021. This equates to a near doubling of the 35,000 heat pumps sold in 2019.
“Aside from establishing the Green Jobs Taskforce and awarding funding through the Green Homes Grant Skills Training Competition, the Department of Education has also made available up to £18m to support technical bootcamps for training professionals in clean growth, electrotechnical, welding or engineering,” Lord Callanan said.
“Furthermore, we are working with the Department of Education and Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to review the existing higher and further education framework to support low-carbon heating professionals entering the market, this includes reviewing the existing apprenticeship framework and exploring the possibility of establishing a new low-carbon heating technician professional standard.
“We will monitor the effectiveness of existing support in increasing installer numbers and will intervene as necessary to ensure the supply chain continues to grow to meet demand and to ensure that the workforce has the appropriate skills,” he added.
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MPs call for more heat pump engineers – 21 December 2020
UK: The Environmental Audit Committee has warned that government plans to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 could fail without more skilled engineers. Read more…
