The National Construction College (NCC), the training division of CITB-ConstructionSkills, is planning to host a series of Green Deal Awareness workshops throughout the UK over the next six months.

The move will help SME construction firms make the most of the new business opportunities being presented by the Government’s Green Deal.

The Green Deal scheme, which will enable homeowners and businesses to fund energy efficiency work based on future savings from their energy bills, is expected to create an estimated 65,000 jobs for the construction sector when it is launched later this year. The National Construction College, which is the largest construction training provider in Europe, has introduced these new workshops to ensure that construction firms are fully equipped with the right knowledge and skills to maximise on these opportunities.

Andy Walder, Director of the National Construction College (NCC), said: "We are urging construction firms to start preparing for the future now. The Government’s Green Deal is great news for the industry, but it is essential that businesses make sure that they have the knowledge and skills to take advantage of the new work that will be created by this scheme.

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"These workshops will help companies discover and unlock the Green Deal’s commercial and employment opportunities, as well as informing businesses which skills their workforce will require. This is just one of the many ways that we’re investing industry funds to help businesses upskill their workforce to take advantage of business opportunities and to ensure that we are in the best position possible for future economic growth locally and nationally."

The Green Deal Awareness workshops have been designed to provide managers, contractors and owners of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) with a basic understanding of energy efficient measures for domestic properties.

Each half day workshop will explain how the Green Deal works and the type of measures which are covered by the initiative, such as solid wall insulation, solar pv and thermal, high efficiency boilers and ground source heat pumps. Most importantly the workshop will show firms how to access Green Deal funding for customers, in addition to how to get qualified to deliver the energy efficient improvements covered by the scheme.

With a long-standing reputation and experienced staff, the NCC is well placed to deliver the skills training needs of the Construction and Built Environment sector. Currently the College provides a wide range of low carbon and sustainability training courses including Cut the Carbon in Construction, Environmental Management Systems at Site Level, Low Carbon Retrofit and Understanding the Code for Sustainable Homes.

To keep construction firms abreast of the latest developments around the Green Deal, CITB-ConstructionSkills is running Cut the Carbon with the National Specialist Contractors’ Council (NSCC) and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), which aims to help businesses understand the new carbon legislation and what it will mean for them, equipping them with a tangible mix of knowledge and skills to respond to increased client demand.

(CD/GK)