Following over 200 fully funded training places last year, Essex County Council has secured £189,150 to deliver further retrofit training in 2023.

Residents are invited to sign up to fully funded retrofit courses. Training is available at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5 and will support those who are just starting their retrofit journey, as well as those looking to progress in their career.

Retrofitting is the process of adding new technology or features to make homes more energy efficient, which will play an essential role in reducing the county’s CO2 emissions.

It will also help to achieve the environmental goals in Essex County Council’s (ECC) Levelling Up agenda by creating green jobs, raising living standards and improving health and wellbeing.

ECC has received £94,575 from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training competition. ECC is providing match funding, creating a total project value of £189,150.

This funding will help draw on the success of last year’s pilot, which saw Essex become the first UK county to deliver Fit for Retrofit Training.

ECC was also one of the first authorities to partner with Retrofit Academy, alongside Devon County Council.

New funding will enable ECC to provide 50 spots on retrofit courses, which were oversubscribed during the pilot phase.

Training will be available to residents across Essex, with a focus on Colchester, Basildon and Castle Point (Canvey Island) – three of the County Council’s priority Levelling Up areas.

Courses will be delivered by Retrofit Academy CIC and ECC’s Adult Community Learning (ACL). They will take a blended approach with a mixture of e-learning and face-to-face tutoring.

Cllr Lesley Wagland OBE, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Renewal, Infrastructure and Planning, said: “We are thrilled to support another year of retrofit training following last year’s incredibly successful pilot.

“Our Sector Development Strategy identifies retrofit as a key industry for economic and environmental growth across the county.

“Additional retrofit courses will enable individuals and businesses to take advantage of this growing industry, which could create 13,000 Essex-based jobs by 2050.”

Find out more or apply for a fully funded training opportunity via ACL Essex.