Funded training available in Essex to support green careers

Funding will provide 50 spots on retrofit courses

Author: Lauren WattPublished 12th Dec 2022

A council in Essex is offering fully funded training to encourage people to get into green careers.

Essex County Council have secured nearly £200 thousand pounds to fund up to 50 people on a retrofit training course.

Retrofit training sees new technology or features added to homes to make them more energy efficient.

The council have received £94,575 from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy through the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training competition.

The council are also matching the funding, giving a total project value of £189,150.

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

Funding will provide 50 spots on retrofit courses and will be available across Essex with a focus on Colchester, Basildon and Canvey Island.

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.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.