The Green Deal Competency Framework (GDCF) provides an overview of the qualifications already available, plus those that are still in development, that will be recognised as valid under the Green Deal Scheme.
The GDCF has been produced by the Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA), an organisation comprised of three built environment sector skills councils: Asset Skills, CITB-ConstructionSkills and SummitSkills. SME firms can use it to check if their operatives are qualified to start work when the Green Deal gets underway in October, or whether they will require any special training.
The government has estimated that around 65,000 Green Deal advisors and installers will need to be skilled and qualified to retrofit nearly 14 million UK homes with energy efficiency technology by 2020.
CITB-ConstructionSkills chief executive Mark Farrar said: “With the Green Deal only months away it is vital that firms upskill now to avoid losing out to the competition when the scheme gets underway.
“Research recently produced by the GDSA pointed to the fact that a large proportion of the workforce would only require a minor upskill to be Green Deal competent – so we are urging firms to take steps now to begin getting their installers through the accreditation process.
“As the sector skills council for the construction sector we have been with the Department of Energy & Climate Change to upskill up to 1,000 insulation installers to kick start the Green Deal. We will be holding a series of ‘train the trainer’ events across the country to begin this process”
Asset Skills chief executive Sarah Bentley added: “As the sector skills council for energy assessors and Green Deal advisors, we have developed specific occupational standards on which new qualifications are based. A well-qualified workforce with accredited training is essential in ensuring public trust and confidence in those undertaking work as part of the Green Deal.”
SummitSkills chief executive Keith Marshall OBE said: “Our building services engineering sector employers want to know more about the detail of the Green Deal – specifically how they can prepare their workforce. This document, the result of our productive alliance with our partner sector skills councils, should help businesses to identify any training and development needs relating to the government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme. My hope is that as a result it will bring within reach the business opportunities that look set to come with Green Deal.”
More information is available on the Cut the Carbon website.
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