Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
62. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of additional workers required to reach the Government's national retrofitting targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56324/23]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030.
The 2021 report of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs titled ‘Skills for Zero Carbon” identifies a need to increase the number of full-time equivalent workers in the residential retrofit sector from 4,000 to 17,000 over the coming years.
Given the extent of this challenge, the National Retrofit Plan included supply chain development as one of its pillars and a range of measures to expand the supply chain have since been implemented. Crucially, the Retrofit Plan provided certainty to the sector by outlining an unprecedented commitment by Government to support residential and community retrofit. The budget of €8 billion with annual allocations up to 2030 published in the National Retrofit Plan, gives confidence to the sector to grow, take on staff, invest and innovate. Further certainty in the sector has been provided through reformed and enhanced SEAI grant schemes and the expansion of the Local Authority Retrofit Programme which now allow for year-round working as compared to the stop-start nature of the programmes previously in place.
Other tangible steps taken by Government to ensure that we have the required number of skilled workers to deliver on our retrofit targets include:
• Six Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) Centres of Excellence are now in operation offering NZEB and retrofit upskilling and reskilling programmes. The courses are free, fast and flexible with weekend and evening provision available.
• Availability and uptake of these courses has increased significantly. Provisional Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science data indicates that 4,442 people availed of upskilling and reskilling courses across these Centres of Excellence in 2023 compared to 2,069 in 2022.
• NZEB awareness will continue to be addressed in relevant craft apprenticeship programmes when they are due to go through a revalidation process.
• A mobile NZEB Training Unit is now in place which will travel to construction sites and schools across the country to allow people avail of the courses wherever they are.
• Supports for employers to take on apprentices are available.
• The Careers in Construction Action Plan, a deliverable under the Housing for All plan, was launched in August 2023. The actions in the Plan were developed to minimise key barriers to careers in the sector and promote career opportunities. Actions included fundamental changes to our education sector’s skills offering, and include steps to tackling the gender bias in the sector.
• Government also wants to make it easier and more attractive for school leavers to take the option of a career in the new green economy. For that reason, the CAO website now includes information on apprenticeship options with a link to www.apprenticeship.ie.
