Please note that this page contains information and links most relevant for people living in Scotland.
If you’re an installer or an assessor working in the domestic or non-domestic sectors, getting the correct certifications can open doors for your business.
Both the UK and Scottish governments run schemes making money available to both households and businesses to make energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to their property and premises. However, each scheme has its own set of contractor requirements, which must be met for the work to be funded.
Installers
Below are some schemes available in Scotland for certification and upskilling. Each section includes the target audience, available funding and key contractor requirements. This list is by no means exhaustive and there may be schemes available that don’t feature here.
Funding schemes in Scotland for certification and upskilling
The Scottish Government’s MCS certification fund provides heating engineers with a grant to become MCS certified on heat pumps (either air, ground or water source).
The grant will pay 75%, up to a maximum of £1,000, of the certification fees and will run until funds run out or until the end of March 2023, whatever comes first.
This Fund provides funding to UK Apprenticeship Levy-payers and SMEs in Scotland which they can use to access flexible workforce development training opportunities. It is intended for employers to address skills gaps and training needs. For example, new skills for your employees to adapt to the green recovery by transition into the installation of low carbon heating technologies such as heat pumps.
The fund can be accessed through different routes depending on the type of training opportunity required.
For information on how the fund can be accessed by SMEs and levy-paying employers through colleges visit here.
For information on how the fund can be accessed by levy-paying employers through independent providers visit here.
Supported by the Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Government, energy efficiency training funding is now available through the National Transition Training Fund for residents in Scotland that have lost their jobs, are at risk of redundancy or those that have identified a skills gap in their current job.
Managed by ESP, this fund will be distributed to partner colleges across Scotland to allow them to upskill tradespeople and help them move into roles with better potential for future growth and job retention. This includes energy and energy efficiency which will be a key focus with training available in areas such as air/ground source heat pumps and solar thermal.
Training must be completed by 31 July 2022 and eligibility criteria includes the following:
The candidates must be 25 years or older AND
Unemployed, at risk of redundancy or their job under threat as a result of COVID-19 or the economic impact of EU Exit, OR
have identified a skills gap in their current job or to return to employment, OR
have identified a skills gap as part of the ‘Just Transition’ to net zero.
If this applies to you, contact any of the local colleges listed below:
