A report released by the Heat Pump Association (HPA) highlights that the sector is on track to train the future heat pump installers needed to meet Government targets.
Over 7,800 individuals completed a recognised heat pump qualification in 2023 (a massive 133% increase on 2022 levels), and more than 7,000 have already completed training in the first three-quarters of 2024.
This is something we have seen for ourselves with the expansion of our heat pump training programme – the Go Green Academy – in 2024, including the launch of mobile-based training.
The report outlines that to meet the Government target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028, over 41,000 full-time roles will be needed across the whole heat pump workforce, rising to 122,000 by 2035 to meet the target of 1.6 million heat pump installations per year.
There are now thought to be around 14,000 certified heat pump installers in the UK, so if the figures continue to increase at their current rate, there should be no problem meeting the targets.
The only caveat, according to the HPA, is despite positive growth in recent heat pump installer training rates, there is a gap between the number of trained individuals and active heat pump installers working in the market with around 39% of those who complete a training course currently not going on to install heat pumps.
This is down to lack of confidence in the market and uncertainty about the heat pump deployment pipeline.
But with Prime Minister Keir Stamer last week unveiling a pledge to cut UK greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035 and highlighting heat pumps and electric cars as two of the main drivers to do this, there is hope that installers who have adopted a wait and see approach will sooner, rather than later, commit all their time to heat pumps.
And there’s also an expectation that in 2025, the Government, through the Future Homes Standard, will make heat pumps the default in all new homes built in the UK. With the Government’s election pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029, that’s a lot of heat pumps!
It is therefore vital that those who train go on to install heat pumps in order to decarbonise UK homes and here at Go Geothermal we will continue to play our part by offering nationally accredited training opportunities.