Energy efficiency, zero emissions and low carbon heating systems, microgeneration and heat networks - skills requirements: consultation analysis

9. Other Skills for Consideration

Question 9

Are there any areas of skills we have not covered in this consultation that you think we should consider?

9.1 Around two-thirds of respondents identified areas of skills that had not been covered in the Consultation Document that the Scottish Government could also consider (67%). A relatively large proportion left the question blank or indicated that they had no view on this question (33%).

Developing a clear career pathway

9.2 Developing and promoting a clear career pathway or "route map" as a means of attracting new talent into the sector was highlighted as critical – attracting and training more young people, and for the sector to be seen as an attractive career option (e.g. MCS Charitable Foundation and MCS Service Company Ltd, RTPI Scotland, Sustainable Energy Association, The Association for Decentralised Energy, The Insulation Assurance Authority).

"…new entrants need to be confident of a full career progression so work needs to be done on supervisory and management level qualifications alongside technical and managerial career paths". The Association for Decentralised Energy

"RTPI Scotland believes that developing new opportunities and opening up different entry routes, especially through an apprenticeship scheme, will help support the sector meet the replacement and expansion demand for new talent and address the identified skills shortages". RTPI Scotland

9.3 Aligned to afore-mentioned point, was a perceived need for "stronger integration" between industry and further and higher education (as well as with professional associations and professionals themselves). The point made was that greater integration could help to:

• Identify gaps in skills and training provision.
• Highlight long-term career opportunities to students.
• Better understand what training professionals are seeking to access.
• Understand how best to enable individuals/companies access suitably accredited training opportunities.
• Support talent retention.

9.4 Both The Association for Decentralised Energy and MCS Charitable Foundation and MCS Service Company Ltd went onto highlight specific examples that the Scottish Government could look at to inform and shape its thinking, namely:

• Stoke on Trent College's District Heat Skills Academy.
• Vital Energi's Heat Network Training Centre in Blackburn.
• The Energy Saving Trust Heat network skills in Scotland report.
• STEM outreach carried out by many colleges and universities.

9.5 The joint response from The Energy Poverty Research Initiative, Common Weal The Built Environment Asset Management Centre, Glasgow Caledonian University noted that the consultation document did not reference the "importance of lifelong learning, and suggested that a "lifelong learning path" be developed for related professions – "these are essentially restricted to the opportunities afforded by a membership or chartered institution". As outlined above, it was noted that this could help identify gaps in provision and the types of training professionals would find most beneficial – "sabbaticals for in-depth training (such as MSc courses and professional doctorates) or as simple as enabling professionals to access 'drop in' learning to gain micro-credentials – which might be by taking individual modules or even individual lectures and seminars".

A mix of skills development activity

9.6 A common theme was that a mix of skills would be required by the current and future workforce. These were commonly framed as spanning technical to traditional skills, and from professional to soft skills - all were considered crucial and should be covered appropriately in the skills matrix.

9.7 A wider point was around the workforce not having "siloised knowledge", given that an essential part of various roles within the sector is the ability to "work effectively with professionals in other fields". Establishing a shared and "common language" across professionals in related fields, including new entrants, was also considered key.

Soft skills

9.8 Some respondents (e.g. Energy Saving Trust, National Insulation Association, The Chartered Institute of Building) emphasised the importance of developing a more formalised approach to the development of soft skills. It was felt that soft skills was an area that could be considered further within the skills matrix and/or further developed as part of training courses.

9.9 These respondents noted that soft skills were becoming increasingly important, and that it would be important to foster the development of the following skills to sit alongside core/technical knowledge:

• Advocacy and engagement skills.
• Effective communication skills (e.g. consumer and stakeholder engagement).
• Ability to work flexibly.
• Numeracy and literacy skills.
• Behavioural skills.

Professional skills and the training and education of professions

9.10 In addition to the development of soft skills, some respondents highlighted that the Scottish Government could also consider how best to support the development of wider professional skills (e.g. Institution of Civil Engineers Scotland, Kingspan Insulation Ltd, MCS Charitable Foundation and MCS Service Company Ltd, The Association for Decentralised Energy).

9.11 The types of professional skills reported in consultation responses included, for example:

• Finance.
• Project management.
• Supervisory and management.
• Legal.
• Business development and growth.
• Software and IT skills.
• Feasibility assessment (e.g. assessing district heating feasibility proposals).

9.12 Historic Environment Scotland commented that "training and education of professions such as Chartered Surveyors, Architects and Engineers has not been covered…and could be explored with the relevant professional bodies".

Technical, specialist and traditional skills

9.13 "Technical occupational skills" were considered essential as they ensure the workforce has the specific knowledge, skills and abilities to carry out different jobs effectively. There was some reference to the important role of the Apprenticeship Family in "providing the skilled people required for this sector", but that the sector could benefit from having more opportunities for "vocational training and qualifications" available.

9.14 A common message was that a continued focus on the development of technical skills would be essential, and at the same time, a stronger focus on the development of wider skills as touched on earlier (i.e. soft and professional skills).

9.15 The joint response from The Energy Poverty Research Initiative, Common Weal The Built Environment Asset Management Centre, Glasgow Caledonian University noted various reasons to help highlight the importance of developing and maintaining "traditional skills" for maintaining and improving the energy efficiency of the existing building stock, particularly tenements, traditional properties in rural and island areas, and historic buildings. An extract from the joint response is provided below.

"Whilst modern technologies form part of the toolkit that can be deployed to maintain older buildings it is often necessary, or just as effective, to use traditional techniques and materials. Yet there is a real danger of these skills becoming extinct in Scotland unless urgent action is taken to support these industries and encourage young people to join them. Losing such skills would not simply be detrimental to the transition to zero carbon, but also to Scottish culture and architectural traditions".

9.16 While NAPIT Registration posed a question around whether different skills requirements be needed to undertake work in higher-risk buildings (e.g. compartmentalisation and fire safety).

Alignment with existing evidence base and courses

9.17 There was reference to ensuring that the skills matrix takes cognisance of, and aligns closely with, wider skills strategies and plans, as well as with recent/planned developments in training provision.

9.18 Some examples are noted below:

• The Institution of Civil Engineers, Scotland noted that proposals should align with the Skills Investment Plan for Scotland's Construction Sector that covers both professional and trade skills. The same organisation also commented that its members must meet exacting standards in order to be professionally qualified – it considered the current ICE skills and qualification standard appropriate, and proposed that these professional skill sets be recognised within Scottish Government proposals.
• The Heat Pump Association highlighted its newly developed training course for heat pump installers. It noted that it would like to see the skills covered within this new training course, which will be adopted by leading industry manufacturers, to be included within the skills matrix.
• Aligned to the afore-mentioned bullet point, Worcester Bosch posed a question around whether the entry requirements would align with similar qualifications in the rest of the UK? The company also noted that Heat Pump Association would be introducing UK national qualifications for Heat Pumps in the near future.
• The National Trust for Scotland proposed that it would be important to reflect the findings of Historic Environment Scotland's 2011 Traditional Building Skills: A Strategy for Sustaining and Developing Traditional Building Skills in Scotland, and to set out measures to address them.

Reform of Energy Performance Certificate Methodology

9.19 There was reference to the Scottish Government consultation on the draft Heat in Buildings Strategy, and more specifically the proposal to reform the assessment process and metrics underpinning Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) (e.g. by Built Environment Forum Scotland, The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, The National Trust for Scotland, The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland).

9.20 A common message was that "certain methodologies are inaccurate", and as part of reforming the EPC methodology, it would be "crucial Scotland has skilled assessors who understand the nuances and particulars of traditional buildings". For example, by including provision to train assessors to specifically calculate EPC ratings and corresponding appropriate intervention for traditional buildings.

9.21 The National Trust for Scotland pointed to a quote from Built Environment Forum Scotland to help demonstrate the scale of investment required in upskilling and training in this particular area.

"Current EPC assessors are not on the whole qualified to carry out such a detailed technical feasibility assessment. Considerable training will be required if this commitment is to be met with input from specialists in a wide range of measures and building types."

9.22 Built Environment Forum Scotland and The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland echoed this point in their responses:

"If we are not starting from an accurate base, the interventions invested in may fail to deliver on economic and ecological targets, as well as potentially being detrimental to occupant health and comfort". Built Environment Forum Scotland

The EPCs need to take traditional building qualities and embedded energy into account in a more nuanced way than they do at present, and higher quality training is required for the assessors." The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland

9.23 Finally, the joint response from The Energy Poverty Research Initiative Common Weal The Built Environment Asset Management Centre, Glasgow Caledonian University called for "all civil servants and politicians" to be "equipped with some knowledge of why EPC, as they stand, are not a valid mechanism for driving policies to tackle energy efficiency and fuel poverty".

A rural lens

9.24 Similar to other consultation questions, there was specific reference to the importance of both ensuring that people living and working in remote and rural areas have the right skill sets required by industry and have access to opportunities for training and development.

9.25 For example, The National Trust for Scotland noted that "having enough skilled evaluators, assessors, coordinators, designers and advisors is only part of the issue". The point made was that this workforce "must be located where they can service rural and island communities", and that this was important as "stock becomes older and demand for retrofitting grows".

9.26 Tighean Innse Gall suggested that it would be important to increase the supply of trained assessors (e.g. train the trainer) "to ensure local solutions to meet local needs, particularly of island communities". Further, the same organisation noted that funding would be required to "ensure that local training is given, and that assessors are available in the islands who understand local context and logistics of delivery".

9.27 Perth and Kinross Council Housing Improvements commented that "wider technologies and the skillsets required for these also should be assessed such as the utilisation of more wave and tidal electrical generation which is likely to benefit the island communities more".

Whole-house systems and fabric first approaches

9.28 There were a few comments that emphasised the importance of whole-house systems and fabric first approaches, as illustrated by the points below.

"…new entrants to the sector are educated about the whole house and are able to support a whole house approach to insulation retrofit and it is important that the skill matrix and available training courses reflect this". National Insulation Association

9.29 Kingspan Ltd advocated for a "fabric first approach" to heat decarbonisation, and suggested that this could be incorporated in some way into the skills matrix.