Retrofit Careers Hub Launches to Decarbonise UK Housing Stock
The Retrofit Academy have recently launched a new Careers Hub to aid the delivery of retrofit measures across the UK. Housing Industry Leaders asked to what extent this platform will bridge the skills gap, and how it could play a part in meeting the UK’s retrofit targets.
With a mission to train and develop 200,000 retrofitters by 2030, The Retrofit Academy strives to help deliver the large-scale retrofit requirements of the UK.
Their new Retrofit Careers Hub, which went live earlier this month, aims to go even further in reaching these targets.
Housing Industry Leaders spoke to David Pierpoint, CEO of The Retrofit Academy, who highlighted the importance of connecting those with various retrofit needs.
He said: “The idea of The Retrofit Academy Careers Hub is to bring all of the stakeholders, knowledge, resources and job opportunities together in one place.
“Companies searching for skilled retrofit talent can now become an organisational member and set up a virtual stand from which they can host information about their company, interact with prospective talent and, crucially, advertise open retrofit employment opportunities direct to those considering a career in retrofit, in training or already qualified.”
The Hub will also support those looking for careers in retrofitting
In addition to facilitating these connections, the Careers Hub also aids those searching to start their career in retrofitting.
With the UK’s looming decarbonisation targets on the horizon, there is a greater need for trained individuals to help deliver retrofit measures to houses up and down the country.
Therefore, The Retrofit Careers Hub can assist those looking to enter this space by connecting with employers and job opportunities, as well as being able to network, access knowledge resources and hear of relevant training opportunities.
The Careers Hub will also deliver a programme of regular virtual events and online forums, in an attempt to ensure that this community of affiliated employers and retrofit professionals can benefit from the expertise offered through The Retrofit Academy’s network of specialist partners.
Ultimately, David urged that in the mission to create more skilled retrofitters, organisations must considering their existing workforce and examine which roles and employees are suited to upskilling for Retrofit Advisor, Coordinator and Assessor roles.
The Retrofit Academy assists in this area by working with organisations to create training plans to get such personnel qualified to work on their respective retrofit programmes.
Additionally, the courses on offer through the Hub could offer an entry into the industry for school leavers or those seeking a careers change.
The platform could help bridge the skills gap through tailored assistance
While emphasising the Hub’s ability to help employers fill roles in various SHDF and HUG retrofit programmes, David highlighted the importance of identifying skills gaps on an organisational level.
He explained: “There is also work to be done by organisations to understand where their skills gaps are and, crucially, work out the solutions needed to address them.
Working with us to establish a Workforce Development Plan will provide a tailored analysis and solution to every organisation’s retrofit skills gap needs.
“This includes a Training Needs Analysis which provides plans to upskill their existing workforce and details of which roles they need to recruit for.
The UKs retrofit targets are at the heart of the Hub
“There is no hiding from the fact that we have a huge gap in the workforce required to deliver all the retrofit programmes funded by the SHDF and HUG, but what’s more important to focus on is exactly what we can to do overcome it,” David said.
“While we work on Workforce Development Planning with those organisations who are at the beginning of their programmes, the Hub’s role is to bring together our clients with fresh talent.
As we enrol more retrofitters, we will create a larger network of people to fill the jobs being made as well as a central place for knowledge to be shared.
It is hoped that, in time, the number of members sharing job opportunities across the country will rise simultaneously with the rate of prospective retrofitters and graduates joining the platform.
