As demand to decarbonise homes across South London increases, the South London Partnership has launched an online hub to support the construction workforce to access training and qualifications in retrofit.

The Retrofit Skills Centre is a one-stop-shop for retrofit training and qualifications and aims to support the goal of making 635,000 South London properties more energy efficient over the next decade.

Courses on the online hub include training in PAS 2035-identified roles, such as Retrofit Coordinator and Retrofit Assessor, as well as a range of installation NVQs and apprenticeships.

The green skills offering is part of a commitment by the South London Partnership to support London’s 2030 Net Zero targets and focuses on boosting the green jobs sector to build a strong sustainable economy across Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton and Wandsworth.

Commenting on the launch, Polly Persechino, Head of Economy, Skills and Employment at the South London Partnership said: “The scale of the retrofit opportunity in South London is huge, estimated at £17bn, and we want to make sure our sole traders and construction businesses put themselves at a competitive advantage by being ready to harness it.

“The Retrofit Skills Centre is our way of bringing together everything the construction sector needs, making accessing the necessary green skills training simple and straightforward.

“Not only is upskilling crucial to supporting our goal to reduce carbon emissions, but it will also open doors to more work locally, providing a welcome boost to the South London economy.”

The Retrofit Skills Centre launch comes after The South London Partnership secured funding from the Greater South East Net Zero Hub on behalf of the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to develop a retrofit skills action plan for South London.  To inform the plan and support its ambitious goals, the partnership has formed a South London Retrofit Taskforce made up of contractors, social landlords, local authorities, further education providers, universities, urban planners, and policymakers.

Sharing his support for the launch, Sam Eden, Director of the Federation of Master Builders London, said: “Retrofit is so important to protect our homes for future generations and reduce our carbon emissions. The scale of it in London is huge, we have 6 million homes, many of which need to be retrofitted.

“Legislation is about to change, and funding is about to come in at the SME level meaning building projects will need to meet certain criteria, so it’s so important that the construction workforce upskills in retrofit now.

“Now really is the best time, tradespeople need to be ready with the right qualifications and experience to put clients at ease and deliver retrofit projects to the highest standards.”

Genevieve Dady, Supply Chain Development Manager, Greater South East Net Zero Hub (GSENZH) said: “We are delighted to support the South London Partnership, through the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Regional Skills Pilot scheme, in bringing the Retrofit Skills Centre to launch as part of our goal in enabling and financing net zero innovation and transition across the Greater South East region.

“This resource will play a crucial role in making retrofit skills accessible for the South London construction industry and supply chain, in turn contributing to local and national net zero targets, boosting the local economy and improving homes.

“We are excited to see such an excellent resource being launched and can already see what a crucial part it will play in making retrofit skills accessible for the South London construction industry, in turn contributing to local and national net zero targets.”

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Visit retrofitskills.org to find out more about training opportunities and join the Retrofit Revolution now.

View our campaign video featuring Sam Eden, London Director of the Federation of Master Builders.