COUNCIL bosses have welcomed funding that will help boost green skills, future-proof the construction industry and support the county’s move to net zero.

East Sussex County Council’s Employability and Skills Team successfully bid for £240,000 from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to launch the Retrofit Skills East Sussex project.

The project will identify any gaps in skills needed to retrofit homes and commercial buildings to make them more energy efficient, increase training opportunities and create new jobs across the county.

Cllr Keith Glazier, East Sussex County Council leader, said: “We are grateful to the Government’s DESNZ for the funding which will enable us to help those working in construction trades and businesses in the county to develop their skills, so that they are able to offer the services needed to make homes and commercial buildings in East Sussex as energy efficient as possible.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for the construction industry and tradespeople to get a better understanding of the range of training available to help them upskill and secure new contracts, and for training providers to identify and address any gaps in the training on offer.

“Having a workforce skilled in fitting insulation, heat pumps and solar panels, will result in homes and commercial properties being more environmentally friendly, lowering carbon emissions, with the added benefit of significantly reducing energy bills for businesses and residents in East Sussex.”

With the support of Skills East Sussex, the county’s employment and skills board, partners have begun work to understand the number of skilled retrofitting jobs that will be needed in the county over the coming decades, to identify the training needs of construction companies and tradespeople, as well as mapping the range of training courses currently available in the county.

As the project progresses, it is hoped that a range of activities – such as careers campaigns, new courses and subsidised training courses will be offered to support the new Retrofit Skills Plan.

Updates as the project progresses can be found at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/business/support/employment-skills-training/skills-sector-task-groups/construction

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