A SCHEME has been launched to help the West Midlands go green by upskilling more than 100 workers to help deliver energy-saving upgrades to homes and businesses.
Cash from the West Midlands Combined Authority has been awarded to Coventry College which will put on Green Skills Insultations Bootcamps over the next year for 100 learners.
The two-week bootcamps, which were initially delivered to 12 learners earlier this year, are set to run regularly through to March 2024 to deliver a range of retrofit insulation skills and knowledge and upskill the regional workforce in support of the government’s net zero agenda.
During the bootcamps, learners receive training on a range of insulation measures including cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, and external wall insulation.
Participants are also given energy efficiency advice and an awareness of asbestos in buildings as well as working from heights training.
Learners who complete the programme are guaranteed an interview with an employer recruiting for a role which requires green skills knowledge, with Dyson Energy Services one of the programme’s first employer partners.
The course covers fundamental insulation training required by employers to help individuals change careers or progress through the sector.
The scheme is part of a wider push from Coventry College to help local employers to meet their training and development needs.
The college was awarded funding from the Department of Education to deliver several Green Skills Insulation Bootcamps in line with the government’s ‘Skills for Jobs’ White Paper.
Emma Ingram, Coventry College’s head employer engagement and careers lead, said the college was delighted to be building on the success of the first bootcamp and was fully committed to help the insulation industry raise awareness of the regional and national skills gaps within the retrofit and construction sector.
She added, working in partnerships with employers, was key to ensure the industry can meet the UK’s government commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Going forward, the college is looking to develop its newly refurbished workshops into a Retrofit Centre of Excellence for the West Midlands area, and further develop a suite of Retrofit training courses for 2023 and beyond.”
Coventry College reached out to its referral network across the West Midlands, including the National Careers Service, JobCentre Plus and Coventry Job Shop to recruit adult learners, some of which were unemployed, into the programme.
Ian Morrall, Dyson Energy Services’ managin director, travelled to Coventry College to meet the first cohort and said he was delighted with the partnership.
Visit coventrycollege.ac.uk/courses/skillsbootcamp-insulation-technician/ for more.
