Renewable Energy Installer February 2014 | Page 30

Knowledge: Training
Mind the gap
Jed Smith, head of business support services at Specfl ue , argues for an urgent
increase in training capacity if future demand for renewable energy systems is to
be met and the sector’s reputation upheld
A
s the government strives to
introduce the domestic RHI and
promotes the benefi ts aligned
with Green Deal, one question
remains unanswered – where will the next
generation of renewable engineers come
from?
There are mixed views on the RHI
and the success of Green Deal. The skilled
renewable engineer is an integral part of the
debate and the capability of colleges and
private training centres to meet the potential
demand for new renewable engineers needs
careful consideration.
Private training providers like Specfl ue
can react to markets more quickly and tend to
adopt a more commercial focus than colleges.
However, there is one big stumbling block
that restricts the development of a skilled
labour market and prevents the closure of the
skills gap - the investment required to setup
and seek approval from the relevant awarding
bodies. The need for the engineer to be part
of a CPS, MCS approved and a Green Deal
Installer is costly both in time and money.
This is where the training provider comes
in. As well as demonstrating a return on that
training investment, we must be delivering
qualifi cations at QCF standard to ensure the
engineer can become MCS registered.
The need for engineers to become
renewable experts is a key part of the
It’s not all bleak, there
are training providers
out there that actually
care about the service
they provide, the quality
of the qualifi cations
they deliver and value
for money
Reasons to join the Green Deal Revolution
14 MILLION
HOMES 2020
need to become more energy efficient
UP TO
£10K
Apply now and take advantage of the growing opportunities Green Deal presents to your business.
30 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk