Isra-Mart srl:Government backs Green Deal with apprenticeship package

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The government will today launch a package of measures designed to deliver a workforce capable of supporting its flagship Green Deal energy efficiency programme, including new funding for 1,000 green building apprenticeships.

The government plans to insulate millions of UK homes and businesses under its Green Deal loan programme as part of efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, tackle fuel poverty and create up to 250,000 new jobs.

However, green building experts have warned that the sector will require significant investment to deliver the skilled workforce necessary to support the Green Deal programme, and climate change minister Greg Barker admitted last month the scheme would need to be supported by a new "low-carbon army".

As a result, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will today announce that it will support its £2.5m National Skills Academy with a swath of cross-governmental policies designed to help apprentices develop a variety of green building skills, including how to install cavity and solid wall insulation, energy efficient heating technologies and renewable energy systems.

The Departments for Business and Education have been persuaded to fund the training of 1,000 apprentices, which will be supported by a new standard for green deal installers.

DECC said it will encourage employers to take on trainees by offering concessions on installer registration fees for those organisations which employ young people. The scale of the discounts is set to be confirmed closer to the launch of the Green Deal.

The department also said the new apprenticeship frameworks will be designed by employers and Sector Skills Councils, who will also work to train or re-train workers.

The scheme has been backed by E.on, B&Q and Centrica, while building manager Carillion and the insulator InstaGroup will also take part in the programme.

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg will say later today that the growing green economy will be at the centre of government plans to rebalance the nation's finances.

"The Green Deal is about the future – and it is important we ensure that future generations have the skills they need to take advantage of the opportunities of the green economy," Clegg will say. "These apprenticeships are a perfect example of how government and business can work together towards a low-carbon future."

Paul King, chief executive at the UK Green Building Council, welcomed the new proposals, but warned they needed to be backed by a better programme of incentives and regulations that will encourage households to take advantage of the Green Deal.

"The UK Green Building Council is hugely supportive of the Green Deal, and of course having the right skills in the workforce is crucial, but so too is having a market that demands those skills," he said. "If we have the people to do the work but low uptake of the Green Deal, we've got the HIPs [home information packs] fiasco all over again... for the Green Deal to be a success we need both incentives and regulation to drive the market."

According to reports, the Treasury is expected to announce stamp duty incentives to encourage homeowners to take advantage of the loans offered through the Green Deal, but ministers have so far dismissed calls for tougher regulations that would force people to undertake energy efficiency upgrades.

The news comes days after the Scottish government announced it would set up an unspecified number of green academies over the next year. Linked to local colleges and run by Scottish Gas, the academies will train apprentices to install insulation, air source heat pumps and efficient boilers, as well as solar panels and onsite renewable heating systems, in Scottish homes.

Housing and communities minister Alex Neil said the skills hubs would support 447 green energy jobs, including the creation of 77 new jobs and apprenticeships, providing the skilled workers needed to attract and support growth companies in Scotland.

"Green academies will provide people with the right skills to work in the rapidly expanding eco sector," he said. "This offers opportunities for a whole new generation of young people – a green army for Scotland helping to support a sustainable, modern, low-carbon economy for Scotland."