The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has announced a strategic partnership with The Retrofit Academy (TRA) to accelerate the development of essential retrofit skills within the UK surveying profession. This collaboration aims to address the urgent need for qualified professionals capable of upgrading the nation's housing stock to meet environmental standards.

Central to the partnership is the provision of access to the UK Government's Warm Homes Skills funding. This initiative allows RICS members to receive up to 80% funding for two of the industry's most critical training programmes, including the Level 4 Retrofit Assessor qualification.

The scale of the challenge is significant; a 2025 report from the UK Parliament Energy Security and Net Zero Committee indicated that approximately 29 million homes must undergo retrofit work to align with the UK's 2050 Net Zero targets. Key improvements required across the country include the installation of heat pumps, loft insulation, and cavity wall insulation.

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Luay Al-Khateeb, Director of the Future Innovation Hub at RICS, said: "There is enormous demand for retrofit skills as the UK looks to meet its Net Zero targets for 2050. Surveyors play a crucial role in this work to deliver it at scale with quality and consistency. Partnering with the Retrofit Academy to deliver this training to RICS members made perfect sense. RICS is working closely with organisations across industry to mitigate skills shortages and this skills delivery partnership is a cornerstone of this work."

David Pierpoint, CEO of The Retrofit Academy, added: "The RICS and its members are vital to raising standards in new retrofit professionals. This funding is a great opportunity to enter a fast-growing market for professional services."

RICS members will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from The Retrofit Academy in person at the upcoming Futurebuild 2026 event. The exhibition is scheduled to take place at ExCeL London from 12–14 May 2026.