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Green Skills Academy

Helping Londoners get jobs in green projects.

The UK has set a net zero emissions target by 2050. This journey starts by reducing 67% of emissions by 2030, and 78% by 2035. Our Green Skills Academy has been created to meet this challenge head-on.

Britain’s 29 million homes are responsible for more than a fifth of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions. The Green Skills Academy provides a skilled workforce able to retrofit environmentally friendly energy systems to reduce emissions, address the longstanding skill shortage vacancies in the construction sector, and target emerging green occupations.

These skill shortages include:

  • Off-site manufacturing and pre-fabrication roles where homes are precision-engineered in a factory
  • Gas engineers, plumbing and heating technicians with the skills to install and retrofit air and ground source heat and hydrogen pumps
  • Electrical installation and maintenance roles to install and retrofit electric vehicles (EV) charging points, photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, and other electronic green technologies
  • Green Deal and environmental sustainability advisors and consultants ensure environmental surveys and assessments are carried out in compliance with laws, regulations and permits
  • Building design and building information system advisors oversee the implementation of BIM standards and guidelines with industry best practices
  • Waste and recycling management is responsible for managing operations of waste collection, disposal and recycling
  • Energy insulation installers ensure buildings retain heat and are more energy-efficient
  • Roofers ensure rooms are structurally safe and to regulations and building codes
Green Skills Academy

Our Green Skills Academy partners have extensive links to employers in the green construction sectors, including Wates, Retrofit Works, North London Waste Authority, Morgan Sindall, Vistry Partnerships, and Peabody, who provide training and work placement leading to guaranteed interviews and Good Work opportunities.

The Green Skills Academy programme consists of a range of training pathways. For example:

  • Introductory 2-10 weeks courses on topics such as the Green Deal, sustainability, air and ground source heat pumps, environmental technologies
  • Flexible modular training leading to Levels 2 and 3 qualifications
  • Masterclasses on in-demand roles
  • Courses on emerging technologies such as green roofs, installation of PV panels, smart energy consumption, and electrical installation of EV charging points
Green Skills Academy

Mayor’s Skills Academies

The Mayor of London’s Skills Academies supports Londoners get into careers and the capital’s long-term economic growth as part of the Mayor’s London Recovery Plan in response to the COVID pandemic.

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL), as part of Capital City College Group (CCCG), has secured funding to run this academy.

In total, CCCG has secured £1.5 million £1.5 million to run four academy hubs to help Londoners into Good Work and reduce the employment gap between different groups of Londoners, this includes people who are newly unemployed as well as people facing inequality and who are underrepresented in each sector:

Empowering under-represented groups and low-income households

The training and employment available through the Mayor of London’s Skills Academies is tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of under-represented groups and low-income households and address the entrenched and structural barriers that prevent these groups from accessing sustainable Good Work opportunities. These groups include:

  • People from black and ethnic minority groups
  • Women  
  • Unemployed people
  • People earning below the London living wage  
  • Young people  
  • Lone parents and people with caring responsibilities 
  • Disabled people 
  • People aged 50+

Learn green skills with some of the biggest names in the sector

These partners have committed to providing training, work experience opportunities, apprenticeships, curriculum planning, recruitment events, skills shortage research, and jobs.

Morgan Sindall, a key construction and built environment sector employer, Morgan Sindall have 6,000+ staff and a turnover of more than £3 billion.

Wates, is one of the leading construction sector employers.

Peabody, owns and manages more than 67,000 homes in London and the South-East.

Vistry Partnerships, is a leading construction and built-environment regeneration employer.

The Renewable Energy Institute (REI), has been running accredited renewable energy training courses since 1975 in collaboration with leading British, European and Global Universities, and has a wealth of experience in knowledge sharing and career development for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency sectors.

Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the training Board for the construction industry and a partner in Construction Skills, the Sector Skills Council. CITB have extensive links with trade bodies, training providers and employers to promote our Green Skills Academy and design and develop provisions in line with industry needs, creating progression routeways.

Retrofit Works, specialists in retrofitting homes.

Absolute Solar, is an award-winning installer of domestic renewable technology solutions.

North London Waste Authority, providing career opportunities in recycling and waste management.

A flexible and supportive approach to screen skills training

We provide free training opportunities and support packages to help you get a job in green roles. We do this by providing bespoke flexible programmes that fit your circumstances and availability. We aim to give you the confidence and skills you need to be employable within 3 to 4 weeks, and a guaranteed job interview with one of our partner employers.

Training includes:

  • Workshops in specific personal and employability skills, for example, resilience and communication 
  • Multiple step-on and step-off points for greater flexibility
  • Free additional courses up to Level 3 in a wide range of areas
  • Personal tutors
  • Mentoring 
  • Apprenticeships and work experience including pre-apprenticeships and pre-employment training 
  • Industry engagement and career support sessions with employers
  • Attending green construction fairs
  • Work experience
  • Equipment
  • Help with job applications, writing your CV and cover letters
  • Personalised information, advice and guidance, career advice and help with job searches
  • Tailored sector employability workshops 
  • Award in employability Level 1 and Level 2
  • Advice and guidance for self-employment
Green Skills Academy
Industry professionals from Willmott Dixon Interiors and Falcon Green visited CONEL to give students support and insight into Green careers. Read all about their visit here.

How to Apply

All our courses are part of the academies. Choose a relevant course, and the Academy will then work with you to ensure you can access the course.

Courses include:

  • Domestic Retrofit – Introduction
  • Domestic Retrofit – Level 2
  • Green Skills, Sustainability and Green Careers – Introduction
  • Solar Energy – Introduction
  • Air Source Heat Pumps – Introduction
  • Electrical Installation – Introduction
  • PhotoVoltiac System – Introduction
  • Solar Thermal Energy System – Introduction

See the full list of Green Skills Academy courses here. If you are unsure of which study path to take, check out our level equivalence table.

Are you interested in joining the Green Skills Academy? You can contact us by filling out the form below. You can also speak to us at one of our Green Academy employment events, visit our events page to register.

Green Skills Academy
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