The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has released a new report highlighting the critical role of upskilling the installer workforce to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy. The report emphasises the need for skilled professionals to meet the increasing demand for heat pump installations and energy efficiency improvements.
According to the CCC’s findings, most homes will transition to low-carbon heating systems, primarily heat pumps, within the natural life cycle of their existing boilers, which is typically around 15 years. This shift is expected to create a demand for approximately 30,000 new heat pump engineers by 2030.
With the UK government planning to phase out the sale of new gas boilers by 2035, there is a limited timeframe of about a decade to transform the skills of boiler engineers, says the report. The CCC envisions a rapid scale-up in heat pump deployment leading up to this date, indicating a growing demand for heat pump installers until the late-2020s.
However, the CCC raises concerns about the ability of the heating sector to cope with the cost of upskilling, as most businesses are SMEs that might struggle with the higher training and qualification costs for green skills. The lack of market-led oversight of skills and employment needs within these sectors, including heating engineers and companies unfamiliar with heat pumps, may hinder investment in green qualifications. The report suggests that the government should prioritise such sectors by providing funding and coordinating training needs and opportunities.
Charlotte Lee, chief executive of the The Heat Pump Association (HPA), comments: “The CCC’s overview confirms our calls for a stronger heat pump installer workforce. With heat pumps being at the forefront of building decarbonisation, it is crucial to use this as an opportunity to create high-skill essential jobs that will spearhead the transition.
“Our member base represents over 95% of the heat pump manufacturing sales share and has showcased their readiness to upskill the nation ready for the transition to a net zero economy. We also encourage the government to complement the industry’s willingness to train the workforce – by growing consumer demand through bringing forward its planned reductions in electricity prices as soon as possible.”
Lord Deben, chairman of the Climate Change Committee, says: “The UK has committed to Net Zero. The only question is whether the government intends to get there in a way that benefits workers or leaves them behind. This is a unique moment to tailor our approach to skills and jobs, in the certainty of achieving the legal goal. A Net Zero workforce means secure employment for the future.”
Read the report A Net Zero Workforce
