Extra support for installers taking up heat pump training

Following the release of the government’s £5m Heat Training Grant on 4th July, heating engineers can now get £500 towards training to become qualified heat pump installers, and many manufacturers are supporting the scheme by offering further incentives

Over 60 approved training centres across England are now able to provide installers with £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. Grants are available to both self-employed installers and those working for a business with 250 employees or less.

All applicants have to do is sign up for the training through their chosen provider and confirm they are eligible for the grant. It is hoped that thousands of trainees will be able to receive the practical training needed to join a professional installer certification scheme, with all training independently assessed to ensure that it meets the standards needed for certification.

In addition to the grant, a number of manufacturers, including Baxi, Ideal Heating, NIBE, Vaillant, and Worcester Bosch, have confirmed that they will be providing additional discounts and offers to participating trainees, such as vouchers and additional training.

Overcoming barriers

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.”

Worcester Bosch has also announced that it will be providing courses fully funded by the grant which will pay for the company’s LCL Level 3 training course and accreditation. Upon completion of the heat pump course and successfully passing the evaluation, installers will also get the chance to attend several additional free-of- charge training courses offered by Worcester, including the Low Temperature Heating Design course.

Martyn Bridges, director of technical services, comments: “This is also a great opportunity for any budding professional to upskill without having to pay anything towards the course costs, making it an invaluable chance for career growth and advancement.”

Points incentive

Installers who take advantage of the £500 grant with Baxi will be rewarded with 15,000 Baxi Works loyalty points. The company says it will also provide additional support in the form of free CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and free supervised commissioning of the first heat pump installation.

“With the government scheme now launched, our points offer is also live and installers can start to benefit from this great skills initiative,” says Baxi renewables

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To complement the Heat Training Grant, Ideal Heating has announced an additional one-day free training, as well as a free Water Regulations qualification.

Ideal Heating training director Andrew Johnson comments: “We know the cost of training is an additional burden for many installers, particularly those who are self-employed. With the ambitious targets set by government for heat pump installations, we welcome this scheme, which will incentivise installers to upskill and become the low carbon engineers of the future.”

NIBE Energy Systems is another approved training provider and MD Phil Hurley has welcomed the opportunity to lower the cost of becoming a NIBE Pro installer: “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.”

Heating engineers can find further information about the Heat Training Grant with information on how they can apply and lists of the approved training centres and courses (see online link below). Training will usually take at least three days to complete, although it may be longer depending on the trainee’s previous skills and experience.

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