Heat Training Grant review highlights gap between training and installations

UK – The Heat Training Grant is a government scheme that offers up to £500 towards heat pump and heat network training in England, usually as a discount on course costs through approved training providers. More than 9,100 vouchers have been redeemed since the scheme was launched, but a government review shows that most surveyed trainees had still not installed a heat pump after completing grant-supported training.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s latest mid-scheme review found that 93 of the 139 survey respondents had not installed any heat pumps since completing their course. Only 46 respondents had installed at least one.

The findings highlight a key challenge for the heat pump skills agenda. The grant is supporting access to training, and satisfaction with that training remains high, but the survey suggests that a significant proportion of trainees are not yet moving into live installation work.

Launched in July 2023, the Heat Training Grant supports trainees in England undertaking short courses relevant to heat pumps and heat networks. Participating training providers can offer the grant as an upfront reduction in the cost of eligible training.

Most surveyed trainees had not completed an installation

The central finding for the heat pump sector is that 67% of respondents had not installed any heat pumps since completing HTG-subsidised training. Based on the survey sample of 139 people, that equates to 93 respondents.

The remaining 33%, or 46 respondents, had installed at least one heat pump after completing their training.

This is an improvement on the 2024 survey, when 73% of respondents had not installed a heat pump and 27% had installed at least one. However, the latest figures still show that two thirds of surveyed trainees had not yet carried out a heat pump installation.

The length of time since training appears to have some influence on whether respondents had moved into installation work. Among those who completed HTG-subsidised training less than six months before the survey, 25% had installed at least one heat pump and 75% had not. For those who completed training between six and 12 months before the survey, the split was even, with 50% having installed at least one heat pump and 50% having installed none.

Survey response base

The survey was distributed to all 71 registered training providers under the Heat Training Grant, who were asked to send it to eligible trainees. DESNZ said it is not known whether all providers administered the survey as requested, meaning the total number of trainees invited to take part is not stated.

Installation volumes remain modest

Where trainees had gone on to install heat pumps, the number of installations remained relatively low.

Of the 46 respondents who had installed at least one heat pump since completing HTG-supported training, 78% had installed between one and five heat pumps. That equates to around 36 respondents. A further 17%, or around eight respondents, had installed between six and 10 heat pumps.

The survey also shows that those who do move into installation work tend to do so fairly quickly. Among respondents who had installed at least one heat pump, 70% completed their first installation within three months of finishing their training, while a further 28% did so within three to six months.

Domestic applications were the most commonly reported route into heat pump installation for those who had completed post-training work. Among respondents who had installed at least one heat pump, 51% reported installations in domestic retrofit properties, while 46% reported installations in domestic new-build properties. Respondents could select more than one building type.

Training quality scores remain strong

Despite the gap between training and installations, satisfaction with HTG-supported training was high.

Of the 139 respondents, 67% said they were very satisfied with the training they received. That equates to around 93 people. A further 27%, or around 38 respondents, said they were satisfied.

Confidence levels were also positive. Around 52 respondents said they felt very confident about completing a heat pump installation after training, while around 60 said they felt confident.

These figures indicate that the issue is not simply dissatisfaction with the training itself. Instead, the review points to a wider challenge around how trained installers are supported into live work, certification and repeat installations.

Further training and certification

The review found that 22% of respondents had undertaken additional heat pump installation and maintenance training after completing their HTG-subsidised course. Based on the 139-person sample, that equates to around 31 respondents.

There was a clear difference between those who had and had not installed heat pumps. Among the 46 respondents who had installed at least one heat pump, 35%, or around 16 people, had undertaken additional training. Among the 93 who had not installed any heat pumps, 16%, or around 15 people, had undertaken additional training.

The most common areas of additional training were product or manufacturer-specific installation knowledge, low-temperature system design and more in-depth heat pump installation knowledge.

MCS certification also remains a factor. At the time of HTG-subsidised training, 77% of respondents said they, or the company they worked for, were not MCS certified. Based on the sample of 139, this equates to around 107 respondents. Only 16%, or around 22 respondents, said they were MCS certified, while 7%, or around 10 respondents, did not know.

Among respondents who were not already MCS certified, or did not know whether they were, only 12% went on to obtain MCS certification after completing training. The base for this question was 117 respondents, meaning around 14 had obtained certification after training, while around 89 had not.

For installers targeting grant-funded domestic work, MCS certification remains a key requirement. The review therefore suggests that training, while important, is only one part of the journey into the heat pump market.

As heat pump deployment is expected to increase, the challenge is not only to train more people. It is to help trained installers become active, certified and confident participants in the market.