With just months to go before Government’s flagship Green Deal policy kicks off, Climate Change Minister Greg Barker has launched a partnership to ensure the UK has the skills required for an effective rollout of the scheme.
The Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA) will create new training and accreditation opportunities for the energy assessment, advice and installation workforce and will be made up of three Sector Skills Councils including Asset Skills, ConstructionSkills and SummitSkills.
Commenting on the alliance Barker said: “The success of the Green Deal will, in part, come down to having people who have the right skills and knowledge to instill trust. The Green Deal Skills Alliance will help industry face the challenges ahead so people get the right training and qualifications they will need in order to gain work under the Green Deal.”
Chief Executive Designate of Asset Skills, Sarah Bentley, said: “The new skills programmes we are introducing as part of the GDSA are important for the UK to meet its targets on cutting carbon. The partnership is running a series of Green Deal Connections events to raise awareness that only those with the right qualifications will be able to secure work from the Green Deal.”
Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, said: “It is vital that firms, particularly SMEs, are able to meet demand for the construction of low carbon technology, as well as knowing how not to fall foul of changing regulations. We want to help SMEs understand the impact of new legislative requirements affecting carbon emissions and develop the right skills to respond to this demand. We need to ensure that government and larger contractors adequately support SMEs in meeting green skills needs.”
Keith Marshall, OBE, Chief Executive of SummitSkills, said: “There has been so much talk about Green Deal that not surprisingly many employers tell us they are unsure of where to start to prepare their people to support and take advantage of the initiative. The Green Deal Connections events will guide visitors through the mass of information towards exactly what potential installers of environmental technologies need to know.”
Designed to increase the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock, businesses and communities, the Green Deal is due to launch in autumn this year.