Heating engineers can now get £500 towards training to become qualified heat pump installers through the government’s £5 million Heat Training Grant.
Over 60 approved training centres across England will provide more than 6000 heating engineers with the skills needed to qualify as a heat pump engineer.
Opening today (4 July 2023), the scheme will provide £500 off the cost of training per person. The government calculates the usual cost of training to be around £600 – meaning the vast majority will be covered by the government through its grant.
All applicants have to do is sign up for the training through their chosen provider and confirm they are eligible for the grant. Thousands of trainees will receive the practical training needed to join a professional installer certification scheme, with all training rigorously assessed and designed to meet the highest standards needed for professional certification.
In addition to the grant, heating manufacturers including Baxi, Ideal Heating, NIBE, Vaillant, and Worcester Bosch are expected to offer additional discounts and offers to participating trainees. These benefits could be worth up to a further £500 in product vouchers, additional training and other support, helping trainees put their new skills into practice.
Mark Wilkins, Technology and Training Director at Vaillant, says: “We welcome the Heat Training Grant and are delighted to be supporting this important initiative with offers for additional training or support. 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. ”
Phil Hurley, Managing Director of NIBE Energy Systems, comments: “We are delighted to be an approved training provider eligible for the Heat Training Grant. Installers will be at the heart of our transition to low carbon heating, and we are excited to be at the forefront of delivering best in class heat pump training to our NIBE Pro members. By offering our simplified, fully supported training support scheme at an even lower cost, we can contribute to creating a highly skilled workforce fit for the future.”
Harriet Evans, renewables director at Baxi, adds: “Heat pump demand can only grow, so this is an ideal time for installers to get fully trained and accredited for heat pumps and secure future income from the transition to clean heat in homes. The government has an ambitious target for heat pumps to play a major role in heat decarbonisation. As responsible heating experts, we are committed to giving installers all the support they need to make sure their installs deliver optimum performance, efficiency and energy savings for their customers.”
Eligible heating engineers can find out further information about the Heat Training Grant which sets out comprehensive information on where they can apply for the grant and lists the approved training centres and courses. Training will usually take at least 3 days to complete, although it may be longer depending on the trainee’s previous skills and experience.
Also launching today is the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition, offering £30 million to build new factories or expand existing ones and to also retool and rework factories to manufacture heat pumps and heat pump components – as plans to scale up their deployment accelerate.
The competition is available across the UK and projects can bid for a maximum of £15 million – €15 million in Northern Ireland – of funding per scheme.
The aim of the competition is to have up to 270,000 heat pumps or components built every year in the UK from 2028, with up to 3,000 jobs supported, and generate up to £270 million of private sector investment into the domestic heat pump supply chain.
