Recommendation 17

HM Government Acknowledged

The government agrees with this recommendation As outlined in the Warm Homes Plan, the Department is working across government and with industry to avoid unnecessary competition for skilled workers and maximise the benefits of investment across sectors. The Construction Skills Mission Board is an industry-led group, chaired by an industry representative, and supported by five departments (the Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Business and Trade, Department for Education, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero). The Board, consisting of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), sector leaders, small business representatives, training bodies and a union representative is working collaboratively with sector representative bodies to develop and deliver a comprehensive skills action plan to be published shortly that can create an additional 100,000 construction workers per year by the end of the Parliament. It is also working on creating the right conditions for growth and investment. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Construction Skills Mission Board, other government departments and industry training boards, we aim to raise awareness of retrofit training pathways and careers within the construction sector, by assembling information about roles, training pathways and accreditation requirements in one place. This includes integrating retrofit resources within digital platforms recognised by, and accessible to, the construction sector and improving careers information, advice and guidance available to young people. We will work closely with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to integrate retrofit careers resources and job opportunities within their Go Construct Careers platform, where appropriate to do so. To ensure the benefits of the commitments in Warm Homes Plan are felt across every tier of the home upgrade supply chain, there will be an expectation on suppliers and grant recipients to work with their supply chains to actively fulfil outcomes and regularly report on success. The Department is considering ways to maximise the uptake of SMEs, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) and microbusinesses in upcoming Warm Homes Plan schemes; alongside considering the potential to stimulate additional outcomes through use of relevant aspects of the government’s social value model. We will work with the Warm Home Workforce Taskforce to ensure the design of future procurement and grant funding schemes support the transition to high-quality, low-carbon jobs and are designed to support organisations of all sizes. The Department supports training for those seeking retrofit jobs and careers. In April 2025, the Department launched the Warm Homes Skills Programme, an England-wide open grant competition for training providers and further education colleges to secure funding towards the delivery of subsidised retrofit training. The first phase of the competition has made available up to £8 million to a range of suppliers to deliver accredited training for fabric and solar PV installation and retrofit professional roles, alongside entry-level retrofit awareness courses for those new to the sector. The programme aims to directly scale up the retrofit and energy efficiency sector to meet existing and emerging skills gaps, supporting the delivery of the Department’s energy efficiency schemes. The Department also provides grants of up to £500 for existing heating engineers to train to install heat pumps in England. The Heat Training Grant scheme is open to certified heating and hot water installation professionals who are employed as sole traders and in SMEs in England. Since its launch in July 2023, the Heat Training Grant has supported over 9,100 heat pump training courses and an additional £5 million funding was provided across heat pumps and heat networks for this financial year. Following the success of the Heat Training Grant in driving the take-up of heat pump training amongst small businesses and sole traders, we will increase funding for the grant in England to £7 million per annum over the next three years, until March 2029. This will continue to support existing heating engineers in training to become heat pump installers and will support an increased range of training opportunities in heat networks. Along with upskilling existing heating engineers, we are also working to bring new entrants into the workforce. The Low Carbon Heating Technician Apprenticeship was launched in Autumn 2023, and the 3-year course aims to provide younger people with the opportunity to train in the installation of low-carbon heating and hot water systems. We will continue working closely with Skills England to increase uptake of the apprenticeship among young people.