Green Skills Academy launches to futureproof Greater Manchester workforce for net zero

The Growth Company has launched a new Green Skills Academy in Greater Manchester to provide comprehensive training to meet skills needs for the city-region’s net zero future.

Described as the “first of its kind” in the UK, the Academy in Trafford Park will run courses to upskill existing workers and train future generations to install and maintain green energy solutions.

Courses at The Green Skills Academy will be open to apprentices, sole traders and organisations of all sizes to help future-proof the workforce in these specialist areas. There are opportunities for those working in skilled trades across the North including electricians, plumbers, roofers, gas engineers, construction workers, heating programmers and technicians to train in green tech. Courses on offer at launch will cover:

• Air Source Heat Pumps Installation   
• Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installation
• Solar Photovoltaic Panel Installation
• 18th Edition Course
• Inspection & Testing
• Wind Turbine Installation
• EV Charging Point Installation
• External Wall Insulation
• Smart Home Programming System
• Cavity Wall Insulation Extraction

Roosevelt Alexander, director of the Green Skills Academy, commented:

“A mass roll-out of sustainable energy solutions remains vital to accelerate our country’s transition to net zero carbon, and the impact of rising energy costs across the country is giving new impetus to the urgency.

“A tremendous effort is required for this transition, and we see the Green Skills Academy as being on the front line in terms of how we will help our workforce, individual households and communities to play a key part in the fight back against climate change.”

A launch event on Thursday 19th January was attended by city-region leaders and the local business community to see how the training offered could help futureproof the workforce with green skills and help Greater Manchester meet its 2038 net zero target.

Andy Burnham Mayor of Greater Manchester said:

“This is clearly the right thing to be doing for the world that we live in, as we’ve got to face up to the challenges of climate change. But, it’s also right for us it’s right for us in Greater Manchester. This academy will help people of all ages get themselves ready for the new economy, the green economy, where prosperity is. So, it is genuinely an exciting day for us.

“In Greater Manchester, we’re rethinking how we give our residents pathways to prosperity, jobs that will last and skills that will ensure they can move beyond low-paid, insecure employment. We want to bring in jobs that are there for the long term so they create a good standard of living.

“This is where Greater Manchester will succeed in the future. We’re giving all of our residents a sense of hope for a good job in the new economy and this Green Skills Academy is a massive piece in that jigsaw”