Skills and Green Deal

The Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA) 3 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) working together to ensure the correct skills are in place for the Green Deal: Asset Skills – Green Deal Assessment/Advice. ConstructionSkills – Green Deal Installers, covering insulation and building fabric. SummitSkills – Green Deal Installers, covering environmental technologies and building engineering services.

Starting Point: Consumer Support To achieve maximum impact, the emerging Green Deal brand must enjoy real consumer confidence – which in turn will trigger the market mechanisms on which Green Deal Depends. Consumer confidence will only be gained through quality service – from Green Deal Advisors and Green Deal Installers.

Quality Service depends on Skills Green Deal Advisors will need to be trained, qualified and certificated, and adhere to the Green Deal code of Conduct. Installers and workers in environmental technologies will have the same requirements, albeit within a separate Quality Assurance, and regulatory regime based on the PAS (Publicly Available Specification).

Defining the Skills and Competencies required National Occupational Standards (NOS) developed by individual Sector Skills Councils, define occupation specific Green Deal skills requirements. Some existing NOS were already fit for purpose, others subject to review/amendment. All, when approved, are being used as the basis of nationally recognised qualifications on which, certification arrangements will be based.

Asset Skills – Energy Assessment and Advice NOS for Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) have been revised to reflect the needs of the new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) from April 1 st 2012 – and used as the basis for a compulsory mini qualification. Brand new NOS for Green Deal Advisors, Domestic and Non-Domestic, also completed in readiness for new qualifications for this brand new job role.

CITB-ConstructionSkills CITB-ConstructionSkills is the Industrial Training Board and Sector Skills Council for construction and it is: Providing a voice for industry on skills/training requirements relating to Green Deal. Supporting construction trades in Green Deal, e.g. insulation installers, building professionals and general builders. Developing bespoke apprenticeships and training solutions for specialist sectors such as solid wall insulation.

SummitSkills Sector Skills Council for building services engineering. Employer led influence on policy and standards, e.g. Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Environmental technologies in Green Deal, e.g. Heat Pumps, Solar Thermal and Biomass. Established National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies in 2011.

GDSA – starting with a Common Competency Framework Providing knowledge and understanding of Green Deal as a whole. Everyone appreciating the “big picture” rather than thinking in individual occupation specific silos. Workers understanding one another’s roles and where they fit into the Green Deal customer/ client “journey”. Result: greater coherence in delivering Green Deal and enhanced success rates.

Joining up Green Deal Skills Common Units of knowledge for use as the basis for additional training and enhancements to job specific qualifications or Stand alone mini-qualifications in their own right.

Common units – examples Understand the principles and operation of the Green Deal (or equivalent programme). Understand the principles of customer service. Understand how to monitor work progress. Understand maintenance of energy efficiency measures. Understand the effects of energy efficiency measures on conservation and heritage buildings. Understand insulation and building treatment roles. Understand air quality/ventilation requirements. Understand building services engineering roles.

Beyond the common units Research: first report from employers by February/March – encompassing demand for Green Deal skills and qualifications, delivery issues and emerging business models. Train the Trainer packs for Installers and Green Deal Advisors – installer manual available now on Cutting the Carbon website; advisor manual available March Piloting aspects of the Common Competency Framework to inform future work – pilots complete and feedback was excellent! Disseminating information and consulting widely (e.g. 19 half-day events around the UK).

Phase two (April 2012 to March 2014) Funding secured from the UKCES “Employer Investment Fund”. Focus – piloting new/emerging qualifications and then moving onto implementation issues, plus work with DECC and the devolved administrations to monitor the roll-out of Green Deal training and qualifications.

Phase two continued Individual project details still being finalised but include: Research Training trainers Quality of learning New competencies to fill gaps More events (but to differing models) – partners welcome contact Phil Stott. Listening and engagement

Summary Individual SSC work vital on an occupation specific basis. GDSA input gives an added dimension. Important to ensure that training and qualifications integrate with the emerging (UKCAS supervised) regulatory regimes. All the answers NOT yet known; your feedback and questions today will help provide some of these!

GDSA Contact Details Telephone:

Build Up Skills UK IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13, BUSUK

IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13, Backed by the EU Commission taking place in 21 member countries, with more to join shortly. Focused on the built environment. Project to develop a Skills Roadmap to ensure the UK has an appropriately skilled workforce to meet the EU 2020 targets: Reduce energy consumption by 20% Reduce green house gas emissions by 20% Meet 20% of energy needs through renewable resources Build Up Skills UK (BUSUK) IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13,

4 Sector Skills Councils working together to represent their footprints: Asset Skills – Manages project and recruits Platform of stakeholders to inform and endorse research. ConstructionSkills – Conducts Research and develops Roadmap. SummitSkills – Manages endorsement process of Roadmap. Energy & Utility Skills – Evaluates project. BUSUK Consortium IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13,

Project will be developed and endorsed by the built environment energy efficiency sector, for the sector. Tool to achieve this sector engagement will be the National Qualifications Platform, consisting of: 50 core stakeholders National and devolved nation steering committees Wider Platform – key for endorsement BUSUK Process - Platform IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13,

Establish National Qualifications Platform. Conduct status quo analysis to take “snap shot” of sector skills and training at the moment. Use analysis and Platform to develop the Roadmap which illustrates barriers to training and skills gaps. Secure sector endorsement of the Roadmap. Use endorsement and evaluation of project to develop training infrastructure as part of Pillar 2 (to be confirmed). Developing the Roadmap IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13,

The success of the project will be defined by input/endorsement from the sector. This buy-in will be secured through clear communications: Regular newsletter to Platform Twitter feed Website with online consultation, news, updates – due to launch March Clear branding Interaction with EU partners. Communications IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13,

Establish the National Qualifications Platform: March Publish Analysis of the Status Quo: June Publish 2020 Skills Roadmap: December Endorsement: throughout but completed by February Pillar 2: 2014 and beyond. Key Dates IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13,

How can I register interest and join the Platform? Please contact Lucy Radford: or via Contact details IEE/11/BW1/479/S , 11/ /13,