A knowledge hub for retrofit-related information and how we can upscale and reskill the workforce to achieve our home retrofit goals.
Resource
What is retrofit?
Retrofit means making improvements to a home so it becomes more energy efficient. It includes the insulation of walls, floors, and lofts, the upgrading of windows and doors, and renewing services such as heating, hot water, and lighting.
Retrofitting can make your home warmer, reduce your carbon emissions, and lower your energy bills.
The need for a retrofit workforce
Britain’s 28 million existing homes are responsible for around 15% of the UK’s carbon emissions, according to the Committee for Climate Change.
10% of the UK population – 6.5 million people – live in poor-quality housing.
We need a large construction workforce of skilled workers, who can carry out retrofit work needed to reach Net Zero for decades to come.
Retrofit requires skilled people who understand how to design, install, and maintain retrofit technology such as insulation, solar, heat pumps, and more. While the North West construction sector is substantial in size, the proportion of the sector currently delivering retrofit work remains low.
As part of the retrofit skills programme, we created these videos to explain the need for a retrofit workforce, and the opportunities for young people and businesses in domestic retrofit:
Retrofit for young learners |
Retrofit for employers |
To retrofit our existing housing across the North West, we need to scale up and reskill our workforce. We need a large workforce of skilled people who can take advantage of this opportunity to transform our future.
This North West knowledge hub page provides links to help you find retrofit-related college courses, regional skills initiatives, and independent training providers in the following areas:
- Cumbria
- Lancashire
- Greater Manchester
- Liverpool City Region
- Cheshire & Warrington
North West Retrofit Skills Plan
This resource page has been created by the North West Net Zero Hub as part of our wider work to create the North West Retrofit Skills Plan. You can read the full report here, together with its supporting documentation:
- Annex 1: Stakeholder consultation
- Annex 2: Data and analytics
- Annex 3: Skills pilot projects
The North West Retrofit Skills Plan was created to assess the current state of the retrofit workforce and identify the necessary steps to develop the local workforce to be able to achieve Net Zero targets.
The report was prepared by Think Trinity Ltd and published by the North West Net Zero Hub, supported with funding from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.
Further information for businesses
In the North West of England, over £300 million has been awarded to local authorities and housing associations to carry out retrofit programmes.
There are opportunities for businesses to take on this funding across many programmes, including:
- ECO4
- Warm Homes: Local Grant
- Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund
Retrofit measures for householders are carried out under the protection of government standards. Suppliers and contractors need these accreditations to access government funding:
- TrustMark (PAS 2035): TrustMark is a not-for-profit organisation, licensed by the government and designed to deliver consumer protection.
- MCS: The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certifies microgeneration technologies used to produce electricity or heat from renewable sources.
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