Government to pour millions into heat pump manufacture and training of installers

The Government have launched a new scheme whereby current heating engineers will receive a £500 discount to train up to become fully qualified heat pump installers.

At the same time they are launching the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition which will provide £30 million to build new factories and expand or retool existing ones to manufacture heat pumps and heat pump components.

Projects from across the UK can bid for a maximum of £15 million of funding per scheme. The aim is to have up to 270,000 heat pumps or components built every year in the UK from 2028. 

As the cost of a training course is around £600, the £500 being offered represents a significant contribution to the cost of reskilling. Training will cover heat network feasibility and design, construction, operation and maintenance.  

On top of this, companies such as Baxi, Ideal Heating, NIBE, Vaillant, and Worcester Bosch are expected to offer additional incentives which could be worth up to a further £500 in product vouchers, additional training and other support.

Those joining the scheme will be able to train at one of over 60 approved centres across England, with the hope being that 6,000 heating engineers will take part. To cover this number, the government are calling for other training providers to offer courses that would help in this process. 

From 2025, no new houses will be built with gas boilers and from 2029 there will be no new natural gas boilers will be made so the need for a sizeable, properly trained workforce is self evident.

Speaking to Scottish Construction Now last month, Harry Hunter, Commercial Trainer in Renewables at Forth Valley College said: ‘There is currently a huge talent pool to draw on with 130,000 gas heating engineers registered across the UK, and we need to be tapping into this skills base. We need to be focusing on how we can persuade these trades people that there is going to be huge demand for renewable skills, not sometime in the distant future, but right now.’

Charlotte Lee, CEO of the Heat Pump Association, said:  ‘We welcome the launch of the Heat Training Grant and are pleased to see training providers across the country, including HPA members, being included in the first funding round. Creating a large, highly skilled heat pump installer base is essential for expanding heat pump rollout in the UK and is a priority for the Association and its members.

Manufacturers have also welcomed the opening of the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition to applications. This funding will help build our capability and capacity for manufacturing heat pumps and key components across the UK, creating new jobs and ensuring we remain at the cutting edge of manufacturing innovation.’