Leading social housing consortium Efficiency North has introduced a national training initiative to England for the first time, designed to equip construction educators with essential skills in retrofit and sustainable building.

The programme, delivered by Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), builds on two years of successful implementation across Scotland.

The four-day course took place in February at Barnsley College's newly-opened Clean Energy Training Centre. While initially focused on tutors and curriculum managers from six colleges across Yorkshire and the Humber, enrolment for the programme has since been extended to further education (FE) institutions nationwide.

The curriculum focuses on strengthening green construction teaching by covering building physics, modern methods of construction (MMC), digital construction applications, and retrofit principles. This "whole-house" approach emphasizes the critical relationship between moisture control, ventilation, insulation, and energy performance.

Simeon Perry, head of ESG at EN:Procure, the procurement arm of Efficiency North, said: "With the government's new Warm Homes Plan investing £15 billion to help upgrade up to five million homes by 2030, delivering energy-efficient retrofit at scale demands a workforce with the right skills and confidence. This is no longer an area where half measures will suffice.

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"By partnering with BE-ST, Efficiency North has chosen to invest at the very start of the skills pipeline, equipping educators with the expertise to prepare the next generation of retrofit-ready construction professionals and supporting colleges to meet both immediate and long-term green skills demand."

The programme directly addresses the skills gap within the FE sector, incorporating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and new materials. Richard Favell, a carpentry and joinery lecturer at Grantham College and course participant, noted: "From the building physics sessions to the retrofit principles, technology in construction and exploration of new and emerging materials, I've come away with plenty of practical ideas and insights to apply in my work."

Practical activities, live demonstrations, and structured networking sessions allowed delegates to share knowledge and develop consistent training standards. Each attendee received a comprehensive resource pack to facilitate the delivery of these subjects within their own colleges.

Hanna Lundstrom, impact manager at BE-ST, said: "It has been great partnering with Efficiency North to deliver this programme in England. All attendees have brought great enthusiasm in both the practical exercises and the educator-to-educator discussions. From experience delivering the course in both Scotland and England, it is key for educators to get the time and space to identify and share resources on how to embed their learnings into the curriculum."

The urgency of the initiative is underscored by Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) projections, which indicate that Yorkshire and the Humber alone will require approximately 26,600 additional construction workers by 2028.

The course, priced at £1,600 per delegate, is expected to see continued demand from colleges across England and Wales as the industry scales up to meet sustainable construction requirements.

For more information on Efficiency North and its skills and sustainability initiatives, visit: www.efficiencynorth.org.

For more information on BE-ST and its skills programmes, visit: www.be-st.build/skills-training.