MCS has said it looks forward to enrolling the first intake of students onto the Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship in September 20241. The certification body launched the apprenticeship earlier in 2023, describing it as the first dedicated training provision for heat pump engineers in the UK1. It is a UK first, and MCS says several colleges and training providers are already signed up to deliver it2.
The apprenticeship was selected by a group of independent experts assembled by the Department for Education as one of six apprenticeships to display the King's Coronation Emblem, in recognition of its sustainability goals and its aim of creating a pipeline of talent into the green workforce1. MCS has also created a Growth and Development Group to support the promotion, development and administration of the apprenticeship1.
"We also look forward to enrolling the first intake of students onto the Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship in September 2024."
The background is a shortage of skilled installers. MCS says it certified its 4,000th contractor in October 2023, with more than 1,800 new contractors certified during the year, a 70% growth in its contractor base since the end of 20221. It states that more contractors joined the scheme in 2023 than in the previous six years combined1. On heat pumps, MCS reports over 35,000 certified installations registered across the UK in 2023, a record year, bringing the total since 2008 to over 200,0001. It adds that this remains well short of the Government ambition of 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028, and that a dedicated pathway to develop skilled renewable heating installers is critical to reaching it1.
Installation figures for 2023 by nation, as reported by MCS, are set out below2.
| Nation | Certified installations, cumulative | Share of households |
|---|---|---|
| England | 1,378,870 | over 5.7% |
| Wales | 112,627 | nearly 8.4% |
| Scotland | not reported | over 8.2% |
| Northern Ireland | 32,755 | just under 4.4% |
MCS reports that Wales ended 2023 with the highest small-scale renewable installation uptake of the four nations, at nearly 8.4% of households, ahead of Scotland on over 8.2%2. Scotland recorded the highest heat pump uptake in the UK, with over 35,000 heat pump installations across Scottish homes and businesses2. In Northern Ireland, solar PV made up nearly 100% of certified installations in 20232.
Why it matters for households
A larger pool of trained low-carbon heating technicians bears on how quickly a household can get a heat pump or other renewable heating system designed, fitted and commissioned to a recognised standard. MCS frames the apprenticeship as the route to what it calls an army of competent installers with the skills to install low-carbon heating technologies to the highest standard2. For a home weighing up home heating and energy independence, the practical constraint is often the availability of qualified installers rather than the technology itself. Households in England and Wales can also draw on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, where the grant value for heat pumps rose from £5,000 to £7,500 in October 2023 and average weekly applications for vouchers rose from 331 to 1,1722. In December the government announced an additional £1.5 billion for the scheme until 2028, allowing for an additional 200,000 vouchers across England and Wales2. Separate support exists in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Households wanting certified work can check the installers and retailers hub for how certification operates.
What happens next
MCS states that the first intake of students onto the Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship is expected in September 20241. It also says the redeveloped MCS Scheme is due to come into effect on 1 April 2024 in one account1 and in summer 2024 in another2. VAT was removed from battery storage installations from 1 February 20242. No further detail on the apprenticeship intake, such as student numbers or participating colleges, has been reported.
Sources2 cited
- 2023: A record-breaking year for MCS and small-scale renewables - MCS, mcscertified.com
- Battle of the Nations: Renewable uptake across the UK in 2023 - MCS, mcscertified.com