The UK government today promised £3.5 million to train hundreds of people in the construction industry to deliver its flagship energy efficiency scheme.

The Green Deal, which will formally kick off later this year, is expected to support around 65,000 jobs in the UK as householders take up the opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

Delivering the scheme will require trained, skilled professionals to assess home energy efficiency and install insulation and other measures and technologies to improve performance.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is now putting its money where its mouth is with £3 million for training insulation installers, along with a further £500,000 from CITB-ConstructionSkills, a partner in the Green Deal Skills Alliance.

“This money will help hundreds of people gear up for the Green Deal,” says Energy Secretary Ed Davey. “We… are targeting funding at the areas where there is an urgent need as well as a clear demand.”

A lack of trained staff to deliver the Green Deal has been identified as one of the main barriers to the success of the scheme, says Mark Farrar CEO of CITB-ConstructionSkills.

“We are now calling on employers and the supply chain to also invest in sustainable skills training for their workforce, so they too can capitalise on the Green Deal,” he added.

Neil Marshall, chief executive of the National Insulation Association, says that the funding recognises the need for extra support for skills and training.

“We have been working closely with the government on plans to significantly ramp up solid wall insulation volumes under the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO)… and we look forward to working with them in the coming weeks to agree the most effective method of deploying the funds.”

In early May, the government will be following up with a £10 million competition to support the development of innovative technologies for energy saving in non-domestic buildings like schools, shops, offices and hotels.

For further information:
www.decc.gov.uk/
www.cskills.org/
www.nationalinsulationassociation.org.uk/

Related stories:
London and Edinburgh to share UK’s Green Investment Bank (8-Mar)
Warmer temperatures push UK energy use down 7% in 2011 (24-Feb)
UK government launches Green Deal skills partnership (19-Jan)
UK Government announces funding for 1000 Green Deal apprentices (8-Mar 2011)