Faye Wade, Henry Finn, Long Zhou, Christian Calvillo Munoz
The Low Carbon Heat Apprenticeships Challenge: Solutions for quicker, more inclusive workforce development
Authors
Executive summary
UK Government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan suggests the need for between 8,500 and 10,000 more plumbers and heating installers 2030. Despite this, apprenticeship start rates (not heating specific) have dropped from 520,600 in 2012 to 337,140 in 2023 and completion rates are low with between 1.5-1.7 million of the 2.4 million starts recorded between 2010 – 2015 actually completing. In response, this report explores who participates in low carbon heating apprenticeships and the motivations underpinning their participation; it asks two questions:
1. Who is undertaking apprenticeships in (and in competition with) low
carbon heat, and where are they based?
2. How do young people (16-18 year olds) make the decision to train in
low carbon heating, or not?
These questions are answered using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative analysis uses standard statistical summaries to characterise the volume, demographic composition and geography of apprenticeship starts in core low-carbon and comparator apprenticeships. The included apprenticeships are: Low Carbon Heating Technician (LCHT); Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician; Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Technician; Gas Engineering Operative; Domestic Electrician and Installation and Maintenance Electrician. The qualitative included interviewing those undertaking the Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship.
The low carbon heat apprenticeships challenge: co-creating solutions for quicker, more inclusive workforce development project
This project, developed with MCS Foundation, uses mixed methods to explore uptake of low carbon heating apprenticeships.
Changing domestic heating systems is critical to the UK Government’s Warm Homes Plan and energy demand reduction. However, there are insufficient workers to meet anticipated demand, and the sector severely lacks diversity. Young people show particularly low interest in low carbon heat careers.
In 2024, MCS Foundation launched the Low-Carbon Heating Technician (LCHT) Apprenticeship to address this. Whilst evidence exists on workforce retraining challenges, there is little analysis of who follows different heating routes or competition from related apprenticeships (plumbing, electrical). Understanding young people’s experiences is essential for developing the future workforce.
