Forth Valley College are appealing for local plumbing and heating installation companies to find out more about a Scottish Enterprise funding scheme that could help develop their workforce.
Up to 50% funding (between £5,000-£15,000) is on offer to support SME companies (having between 10-250 employees and based in the Scottish Enterprise area) – which meet the eligibility - for heat pump upskilling and to develop their workforce skills and capabilities in areas associated with Green Heat, between now and 31 March 2024.
More information can be found here.
Scottish Enterprise are running this small pilot for between 10-20 companies in the Scottish Enterprise area, and local companies who are successful could easily use their funding to secure training courses at FVC’s Renewable Training Centre at the Falkirk Campus – more info here.
To enable this industrial ramp-up of heat pumps and heat networks, there will be an increasing demand for the manufacture and supply of heat pumps, heat pump systems related components and heat network equipment.
This presents both opportunities and challenges to build a green heat supply chain taking into consideration the role of skills, training and competency in the transition to a decarbonised heating future.
This will be a small, timebound pilot for companies in the green heat supply chain to develop their workforce between now and 31 March 2024. Support (at 50%) is available towards external training costs as well as salary costs while employees attend training. Support is being provided to incentivise companies to move quickly and effectively upskill, reskill and take on new staff.
Who is the support aimed at?
- Heat Pump manufacturers
- Heat Pump component and systems supply chain
- Heat Network equipment supply chain
- Heat pump installers
- Heat Network equipment installers
Type of training
Training could include manufacturing efficiency, more efficient installation processes, addressing key green heat skills that require updating, for example:
- heat pumps, their components and the wider heat pump system
- equipment for heat network
- commissioning of heat networks
- manufacturing of enabling solutions such as thermal storage and its wider supply