Vaillant welcomes Labour leader to Belper HQ
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has visited Vaillant’s HQ in Belper, Derbyshire. He was there to see production of low-carbon technology in action and find out more about how government and industry can work in partnership to ensure the UK can successfully transition to low-carbon technologies.
The leader of the Opposition viewed the company’s new heat pump line and took a keen interest in the variety of new skills needed to successfully work on the production line as well as the job opportunities created. He chatted to employees who had retrained or upskilled to work on the new line.
Sir Keir was also keen to speak with those new to the industry and went on to meet several apprentices, graduates and interns. He talked to them about the role they felt they played in helping the UK progress into this new era of heating our homes and how the training support they were receiving from the company was providing them with the opportunity to progress their career in low-carbon technologies.
During the visit there was also an open discussion between Sir Keir and the Vaillant management team on how government and industry can work together to develop and support a number of pathways to bridge the skills gap and to ensure that the support is there to enable the right investment in production capacity that will get the UK closer to net zero.
Sir Keir said: “The transition to low-carbon technology is an opportunity to be seized; for business, the creation of jobs, the ambitions of our young people, and to achieve energy security to keep bills down. It’s been invaluable to see Vaillant’s work developing heat pumps and advances in hydrogen.
“To truly grasp the potential benefits, we need innovative businesses like Vaillant, backed by a clear government mission and working in partnership. We’re at a critical juncture for the clean energy sector, which, if harnessed as the opportunity it is, will bring enormous reward to the whole country. It’s been invaluable to see work under way and meet people involved in making this change possible.”
