Daikin UK is in partnership with Quantum Group the Green Skills Academy and stated that it will deliver the first ‘Train the Green Trainer’ programme for college tutors and staff at nine Greater Manchester colleges, including Hopwood College, Trafford College and Oldham College. The company is aiming to train 50 heating and plumbing tutors via the initiative by April 2024.
The company said it also wants to develop a dedicated training programme to address the lack of certified heat pump installers in the UK.
The five-day course will be made up of an LCL Awards Level 3 in the Installation and Maintenance of Air Source Heat Pump Systems, delivered by the General Services Administration (GSA), and a Daikin Monobloc Level 1 Installation, and Daikin Altherma 3 Level 2 Commissioning certification, delivered by Daikin.
It will provide college staff with the qualifications and knowledge to launch and deliver the government’s Low Carbon Heating Technician Apprenticeship across these colleges from September 2024.
Martin Passingham, head of product and training at Daikin UK, said: “Demand for heat pump installations is currently being let down by the lack of availability of trained and certified installers. At Daikin, we have the capacity to train more than 10,000 installers on air source heat pumps through our accredited and product related courses through Daikin Training Academies and through our extensive network of Sustainable Home Centres – and we’re striving to train around 30% of all installers in the industry.
“However, greater training and support to bolster access to installers is needed. Our partnership with the Green Skills Academy will equip college staff and tutors with the tools needed to upskill a new generation of heat pumps installers and help fill the current installer gap.”
The UK is facing a major challenge to fill the green skills gap needed to meet the government’s ambitious target of net-zero by 2050 and its aim to have 600,000 heat pumps installed each year by 2028, a statement said. It is estimated there are only 3,000 trained heat pump engineers in the UK, with more than 200,000 people need training for green energy roles by 2050, it noted.
Demand shows no sign of slowing, it cited, the government’s recent increase in funding available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) from £5,000 to £7,500, saw a significant 173% increase in BUS grant applications, including heat pump installations.