UK’s largest green skills provider launched to assist with retrofitting homes

Reed in Partnership have launched a new green workforce to address the UK’s net-zero skills shortage which could jeopardise progression of meeting the 2050 target.  

Today, Reed in Partnership, an organisation dedicated to helping positively transform people’s lives and communities, has launched the UK’s largest green skills provider, known as Reed Environment, in a bid to reach the target of becoming net-zero by 2050.

Following the release of data which shows that retrofit recruitment must triple if the UK is to reach net-zero by 2050, Reed Environment have been tasked with recruiting a new workforce that will assist with making sure millions of homes are energy efficient.

Houses in England are currently responsible for 20% of the country’s carbon emissions, which is why this new workforce has been welcomed with open arms.

Against this backdrop, research from Reed Environment claims if retrofit training and recruitment is unsuccessful, the UK won’t achieve its target number of energy efficient installations to meet its net-zero goal until 2105 – a further 55 years beyond 2050.

James Reed CBE, chairman of Reed in Partnership, said: ‘The UK is in a race to reach net-zero by 2050. Meeting this target quickly is not only key to protecting the environment, but it is also a huge economic opportunity to create highly skilled jobs. A lack of skilled workers means we are currently falling behind. 

‘Nowhere is the UK’s green skills gap more apparent than in the retrofitting of our ageing housing stock. Currently, there is a serious shortage of retrofit training and recruitment pathways, meaning we are unable to embark on the retrofitting revolution that needs to happen.

‘We need urgent action if we are to meet our net-zero targets and that’s why we’re launching Reed Environment to help address this problem.’

To ensure Reed Environment are successful in appointing a strong green workforce, they have invested in the Oxford Energy Academy, the highly-rated OFSTED training provider, to initially offer training for two retrofit assessment courses – the Domestic Energy Assessor and Retrofit Assessor – both of which form the foundation for undertaking a retrofit project.

In addition, the company will also add over 1000 new retrofitters to the market each year when at full capacity – a 94% increase on current recruitment levels.

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