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£3.5 million commitment to train Green Deal installers

A total of £3.5million in funding has been announced to help train people in key green skills ahead of the launch of the Green Deal.

The Green Deal is the government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme which will provide loans, repaid through savings in energy bills, to renovate draughty, energy-inefficient homes and office buildings. The scheme will begin later this year.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) is putting forward £3 million and CITB-Construction Skills will provide £500,000 towards the training of insulation installers.

The funding aims to deliver on the Deputy Prime Minister’s promise to create 1,000 Green Deal apprenticeships.

Energy secretary Edward Davey said: “This money will help hundreds of people gear up for the Green Deal and ensure this scheme is a real success on the ground. We have worked hand in hand with industry to get this right and are targeting funding at the areas where there is an urgent need as well as a clear demand. We hope this will encourage businesses across the country to fully prepare their staff for the launch of the Green Deal later this year.”

CITB-ConstructionSkills chief executive Mark Farrar said: “Training shortfalls have been identified as one of the main barriers to the success of the scheme. We are now calling on employers and the supply chain to also invest in sustainable skills training for their workforce, so they too can capitalise on the Green Deal.”