Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 June 2022
6. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the labour demand to meet retrofitting targets of 500,000 homes by 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33048/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Expert Group on Future Skills Needs report‘Skills for Zero Carbon – the Demand for Renewable Energy, residential Retrofit and Electric Vehicle Deployment Skills to 2030” published in November 2021 indicated that the number of Full Time Equivalent workers carrying out retrofits will need to increase rapidly to approximately 4,000 and again to 17,000 by the middle of the decade to deliver on the Government targets.
The National Retrofit Plan includes supply chain development as one of its pillars and has a range of measures that aim to increase the capacity of the sector. The Plan also sets out the unprecedented level of funding to support the achievement of our retrofit targets – €8 billion of Exchequer funding to 2030. This funding gives confidence and certainty to the sector to grow, take on staff, invest and innovate.
The Government has also taken a number of tangible steps to ensure that we have the required number of skilled workers to deliver on our targets. These include:
- 4,550 retrofit and NZEB standard places this year as part of the Department of Further and Higher Education Green Skills Action Programme
- Three retrofit centres of excellence are in operation with 2 more to be in place by the end of the year.
- Supports available for employers to take on apprentices.
- The Housing for All “FutureBuilding” initiative to recruit construction workers was launched by Minister Humphreys and Minister Harris last month.
We also want 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.
