Heat training grant now open

The Heat Training Grant is available for gas engineers in England to receive a discount of up to £500 towards the cost of heat pump training.

The grant is funded by the government and available through participating training providers as a discount on the cost of training. Several heating manufacturers are offering additional discounts and offers to trainees, which could be worth up to a further £500 in product vouchers and further training.

You’re eligible for the grant if you meet the following criteria:

• You work for a business with 250 employees or fewer, you are a sole trader, or you are unemployed
• You, or the business you work for, are certified by a competent person scheme for heating and hot water installations – in other words, if you are Gas Safe registered
• You, or the business you work for, haven’t already received more than £315,000 in government subsidies over
  the past three years.

If you’re eligible, you can claim the grant when you sign up with a participating training provider.

The cost of training will vary according to the centre and course you choose. The grant could cover most of the cost of a Level 3 heat pump course, which takes one week or less for an experienced gas engineer to complete. Additional discounts and offers from manufacturers should mean that the course cost is entirely compensated for, as well as partially compensating for the time taken to complete the course.

Competence scheme membership

Once you’ve completed your training, you should have all the skills you need to join a competent person scheme for heat pump installations. Joining one of these schemes will enable you to self-certify that the installation complies with the Building Regulations.

Competent person schemes are run by APHC, Certsure, NAPIT and OFTEC. Even if you are already a member of one of these for another heating technology, you may need to update your membership to self-certify heat pumps.

Once you’ve completed your training, you will be ready to complete your first heat pump installation. You’ll be able to take part in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, a government grant that provides eligible homeowners with £5,000-£6,000 towards a heat pump. However, you’ll need to be MCS-certified to install heat pumps in order to offer this.

How to sign up for training and receive the grant

1. Check that you’re eligible
2. Check with training providers to get an idea of prices, location and availability
3. Confirm with the training provider that you’re eligible, and whether you need to complete any required training for your preferred course
4. Confirm with the training provider whether you will receive the grant as a discount from the initial cost of the course, or as a rebate once the training is complete
5. Book your preferred course directly with the training provider.

You can see a full list of heat training providers by region at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/heat-training-grant-for-heat-pumps/heat-training-providers-by-region

Baxi
Baxi has launched its own installer incentive scheme, pairing the government vouchers with its Baxi Works points. The company will also provide free CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and free supervised commissioning of your first heat pump installation for a limited period.

To be eligible, you will need to complete an accredited heat pump training course at the company’s Warwick, Dartford or Warrington training centres, and register a Baxi air source heat pump via Baxi Works. The points will then be credited to your account to spend on a range of items from the loyalty scheme’s reward catalogue.

Renewables director Harriet Evans says: “Heat pump demand can only grow, so this is an ideal time to get fully trained and accredited for heat pumps and secure future income from the transition to clean heat in homes.”

www.baxi.co.uk/training

Ideal

Trainees with Ideal Heating can receive an additional one day of free training, as well as a free Water Regulations qualification, to complement the government-supported scheme.

Ideal Heating’s Expert Academy is experienced in delivering BPEC’s Award in Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) Systems, which is included in the Heat Training Grant scheme.

Training director Andrew Johnson says: “Alongside the ASHP systems qualification, we have also taken the opportunity to provide additional training and qualifications free of charge.

“We will provide an additional one day of training that focuses on heat-loss calculations and system pipe sizing. These are fundamental to successful heat pump installations, so we feel it’s right to spend more time on this as part of this training.

“We are also offering a free Water Regulations qualification that is a prerequisite requirement for the ASHP qualification. We feel these three elements provide installers with great value and a great starting point for the opportunity to begin to enter the heat pump installation market.”

You can train at the National Training and Technology Centre in East Yorkshire, as well as its other training centres.

www.idealheating.com/installers/training

Worcester Bosch

When you complete the LCL Level 3 training course and accreditation with Worcester Bosch, you’ll also be able to take up other training free, including its low-temperature heating design course.

Martyn Bridges, director of Technical Services, says: “The £500 training grant not only covers the entire cost of the LCL Level 3 training course, but this is also a great opportunity for any budding professional to upskill without having to pay anything towards the course costs, making it an invaluable chance for career growth and advancement.”

The Heat Pump training course is available at its centres in Worcester, West Thurrock, and Wakefield.

Email: training@uk.bosch.com