A reception in Parliament on 25 March celebrated employers investing in skills and training within the low carbon market.
The Green Skills Alliance (GSA), made up of Asset Skills, ConstructionSkills and SummitSkills, held the event to mark the culmination of a two year programme to develop infrastructure to support employers involved in the energy efficiency market. This included a range of new green training, awareness raising events and communicating best practice from exemplar organisations that are at the cutting edge of market innovation.

Supported by the Employer Investment Fund, the GSA has been working to make sure that built environment employers are able to get the best from government schemes like Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

Hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group (PRASEG), the event included speakers from the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, and leading employers.

Alan Whitehead MP and PRASEG chair said: 'This event was all about championing employers who have supported the energy efficiency agenda for the past two years. The success of schemes like Green Deal and ECO rely on a high quality workforce with the right training and skills to make customers feel confident in the improvements they make.'

General manager of SummitSkills, Nigel Hollett, said: 'As the current chair of the Green Skills Alliance I'm delighted to have welcomed over a hundred leading organisations to learn more about the key work we have been involved in over the last couple of years. There is a renewed optimism about the low carbon agenda and the time is right for companies to now consider training their workforce to take advantage from emerging opportunities that we hope will arise this year.'

For more information on the Green Deal and ECO work opportunities and skills requirements visit www.greeninfohub.co.uk

Pictured above are (L-R): Richard Mellish, DECC; Michael Murdie, Graham The Plumbers Merchant; Phil Stott, Asset Skills; Nigel Hollett, SummitSkills; Alan Whitehead MP, PRASAG; Colin Reeve, UKCES; Russell Smith, Parity Projects; Richard Bayliss, CITB