Aira Invests in UK Heat Pump Skills with Sheffield Training Academy
Swedish clean energy-tech firm Aira has opened a training academy in Sheffield, aiming to address the UK's shortage of heat pump installers. This venture forms part of Aira’s £300 million UK investment, with the goal of creating 8,000 new jobs over the next decade.
The Aira Academy, located in the White Rose Business Park, will serve as the company's Northern training headquarters. It aims to train apprentices and retrain existing gas engineers, providing them an avenue to develop and future-proof their careers. There are over 151,000 gas safe engineers registered in the UK.
Parliamentary research suggests that in 2022, the UK had only 3,000 qualified heat pump engineers. The government estimates that 27,000 installers will be needed by 2028 to meet the national installation target of 600,000 heat pumps per year. Whether this target is realistic remains to be seen.
Aira's move reflects the increased interest in heat pumps, spurred on by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Following the Prime Minister's relaunch of the scheme and an increased grant to £7,500 in October 2023, heat pump demand reportedly doubled, according to the government's own figures. Aira aims to train employees to deliver what they describe as a integrated end-to-end service.
Located in White Rose Business Park, the 320m2 centre will offer training rooms and demonstration zones. Recruits will have access to technology and tools, designed to develop their understanding of the latest products and policies. The company states it is keen to employ apprentices who are pursuing a career in renewables and will onboard apprentices from the local area in partnership with RNN Group from September.
Time will tell if this investment truly bridges the skills gap, or whether the UK’s ambitious heat pump targets will remain just that – ambitious targets.
