Building a strong retrofit workforce is a social and economic opportunity

Training rates show that the retrofit sector is moving in the right direction. However to convert homes at scale for heat and fabric efficiency will require a dramatic increase in skilled workers across various role types:  

• Heat pumps: workforce must grow from 7,000 FTE today to 40,000 by 2028 and 120,000 by 2035.
• Fabric efficiency: demand for advisers, designers and installers could rise from 100,000 to 400,000 FTEs by 2030.
• Support roles: up to 50,000 coordinators will be needed to manage projects and ensure quality.

Despite some positive signals, there is still work to be done to meet these workforce goals. So what are the main challenges we are facing?  

Uncertain past policy support  

The stop-start nature of funding for retrofit in the past has proven challenging, at a time when it’s important to maintain customer confidence and avoid supply chain disruptions. Creating resilient supply signals is not only about demand, but involves work on awareness, timely delivery and the removal of ‘hassle barriers’ such as network connections and planning rules, that may stop customers from taking the next step.  

Competing market signals

Businesses and tradespeople are not yet sufficiently motivated to shift to retrofit work, when there is established demand in existing trades. We must provide clear policy support and build trust with industry, helping businesses to justify the risks of changing their workstream.  

A lack of clear career pathways

There are not yet clear and well-communicated career pathways and there remain significant gaps between the theoretical and practical training available. Better hiring incentives and support are needed to bridge this, alongside active engagement and outreach to young people and under-represented groups in trade careers.

Recommendations

The retrofit market offers compelling career opportunities. It has a direct impact on people’s lives and delivers tangible carbon reductions, is largely reliant on human installation, and encompasses a wide range of skillsets.  

To overcome the barriers to delivering retrofit at scale and supporting a resilient workforce, we are recommending local authorities to:  

1. ‍Promote career opportunities. Raise awareness among schools and job centres and leverage proven models (such as Solar for Schools) to help connect young people to green trades. Combined authorities can also make a difference by working with regional job centres and recruit a local and diverse workforce.  ‍
2. Proactively invest in supply chain gaps. Local authorities could help develop opportunities for practical work experience and apprenticeships, through procurement programmes, social value contracts, adult skills budgets and more, to support SMEs in moving to invest in new entrants.  ‍
3. Leverage trusted intermediaries. Trusted intermediaries such as community groups, public services commercial groups are often overlooked in the supply chain but play a critical role in combating misinformation, ensuring access to services and gathering community insight to inform better policy decisions.

Scaling retrofit is not just a technical challenge – it’s a social and economic opportunity. With the right interventions, local authorities can help create rewarding careers, inclusive workplaces and resilient communities, while accelerating progress towards net zero.

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