22 September 2023
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Samsung Climate Solutions has joined forces with social enterprise Your Energy Your Way (YEYW), to back the launch of their innovative Trainee Scheme which is designed to help boost the number of trained low carbon heating installers in the UK.
Given the timely increase of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme Grant to £7,500 and the urgency within the industry to move forward with decarbonisation of heating, as heating our homes accounts for roughly 14% of UK emissions,[1] it’s more important now than ever to create the necessary skills infrastructure to cater to growing consumer take up of heat pumps.
The scheme is designed to help close the skills gap by attracting a more diverse pool of technicians into the profession, especially women. By providing more supportive learning environments and access to a range of role models the hope is this new traineeship will forge an alternative path for those wanting to re-train or enter the industry.
The trainees were welcomed to Samsung House and Training Centre for an induction day to kick off their traineeship, learning about the industry as a whole and Samsung’s experience within it.
At the event, Leah Robson, Managing Director of Your Energy Your Way, said of the traineeship: “My personal experience is one of becoming an accidental expert in the low carbon heating installation business. Over the past 10 years, assisting with and then running my own firm has taught me more than any MBA or College course ever could. We wanted to create a course that trained you to install high-quality integrated low carbon heating solutions, drawing on electrical, plumbing, technical, design, software, sales and customer service skills.”
The recruitment of the trainees was supported by Greenworkx, a recruitment company that focuses on jobs in sustainable and low carbon energy. Through a staged process of applications, interviews and a final assessment day with a range of tasks at the City Plumbing Training Centre, three successful applicants have been selected.
Leah added: “We think we have found a solution, by designing a training programme that is rooted in real world experience, combined with payment of the Living Wage to bring new entrants of all ages and backgrounds into the industry. And we are very, very excited to be launching the traineeship today with our first trainees.”
Samsung will provide training, support, and product awareness to all of the trainees as well as fulfil an important mentorship role. With a two year commitment of learning on the job, and formal training via BetaTeach’s Learning Experience Platform, trainees will develop their skills in the installation of heat pumps and solar panels, and learn from the Your Energy Your Way team across installation, customer service and maintenance.
Aimee Holloran, Heating Business Development, Samsung Climate Solutions commented: “This is such an exciting time to be in the low carbon heating business and we need to do all we can to attract more diverse new talent for the future of the industry. I am personally very proud to be a part of this scheme as a mentor to one of the trainees, and fully support Leah in her important mission to help close the skills gap. Samsung Climate Solutions has worked with Leah for nearly ten years, and we hope that by supporting these trainees through their journey on this pilot scheme, we can encourage more people to upskill in low carbon heating as the UK works towards hitting its decarbonisation targets.”
At the end of the course, the trainees will be peer assessed by Your Energy Your Way staff and other recognised industry professionals to confirm that they are industry ready.
“For me, on-the-job learning programmes give people a skill for life, like did they did for me, and it’s always something you can fall back on. We can’t wait for the trainees to hit the ground running and support them on their career journey,” added Aimee.
Source
www.samsung-climatesolutions.com
www.yourenergyyourway.co.uk
