Transformative training to upskill tens of thousands of heating engineers

Up to 60,000 qualified heat pump engineers are needed to meet our net zero targets, but studies have found many installers are reluctant to retrain or don’t feel confident in their skills post-training to start fitting heat pumps*. This leaves the UK with an acute re-skilling bottleneck.

Founded in 2017, Heating Academy employs a unique learning methodology pioneered by its founder, which produces better outcomes in terms of engagement and knowledge retention. It has been Kimbo’s personal mission to upskill a neglected installer community and give them an opportunity to grow in their careers.

“Most people I’ve trained are shocked to learn that they lack 95% of the knowledge necessary to fit optimised heating systems. It has simply not been a priority to upskill installers in the requirements of modern heating systems, which presents a huge problem as we transition to heat pumps, and yet the vast majority are keen as mustard to learn. My approach has been to join the dots on what engineers need to know and present complex topics in a fun and memorable way that really builds their confidence.”

Kimbo’s highly acclaimed course is widely acknowledged as essential learning for every heating engineer. To date, he has personally trained over 2,000 people, and has been searching for a partner to expand his reach to the 100,000+ domestic gas and oil heating engineers.

“I get such a kick out of seeing attendees have multiple eureka moments that have a transformational effect on their career and prospects. I wanted to give that opportunity to many thousands more. I’m excited to work with the boffins at Warmur on how we bring parts of the course online and make it work for loads more installers.”

Alex Butcher, CEO Warmur, said “The hidden skills gap is a major barrier to reaching net zero targets for homes and has played a big role in damaging consumer confidence in heat pump technology. It was clear to us that the Kimbo system of learning is the most successful way to produce the next generation of motivated heat pump engineers. We want to use technology to support tens of thousands of engineers in their long term learning and unlock workforce supply.”

Warmur’s vision for supporting traditionally underserved learners received a major boost this week in the form of a grant funding offer from training specialists Ufi VocTech Trust. Funding will further the advancement of Warmur’s installer support platform with AI-powered career companion app (aka the Kimbot!) helping installers to embed learning at their own pace and get job specific answers.

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https://www.nesta.org.uk/project-updates/overcoming-barriers-for-newly-trained-heat-pump-installers/