Dumfries and Galloway College (DGC) is delighted to announce the launch of its new Net Zero Skills Centre.
The college has been awarded funding by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to provide: “Support for expert business advice and support programmes at the local and regional level, including support for decarbonisation, climate adaptation and circular economy advice”.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and will provide £400,920 of funding for local investment by March 2025.
DGC’s Net Zero Skills Centre will allow the college to offer funding to Dumfries and Galloway-based businesses to upskill workers by supporting the ‘Roadmap to Decarbonisation’. As a result of taking the courses on offer, trades and professionals in the area will be able to offer their services to the general public in order to help make their homes more sustainable.
At least 50% of homes in Scotland will need to convert to a low carbon heating system, such as heat pumps, by 2030. To meet this installation target, it’s estimated that Scotland will need as many as 15,500 heat pump installers.
Dumfries and Galloway businesses can apply for funding until March 31, 2025, for an array of courses across many disciplines including: Retrofit, Insulation & Building Environment, Heat Pump Systems, Electrical Energy Storage Systems, and Solar Thermal Domestic Hot Water Systems.
There are approximately 2.5 million homes in Scotland — with only 278,000 currently using a renewable or low-emissions heating system, highlighting the extent of the retrofit activity required to future-proof buildings.
The demand for new green skills and increased innovation is acute. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has suggested around 22,500 new roles will need to be created by 2028 to achieve the Scottish Government’s net-zero goals.
Joanna Campbell, Principal, Dumfries and Galloway College, said: “Dumfries and Galloway College is pleased to present the new Net Zero Skills Centre.
“The green agenda and tackling the climate emergency is one of the key priorities for DGC. This project, funded by the UK Government, emboldens our ethos to help design and implement green skills courses for workers in carbon‑intensive sectors.”
Bill McMillan, Director of Skills & Marketing, Dumfries and Galloway College, said: “Dumfries and Galloway College is grateful to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for enabling us to upskill our local businesses to take advantage of the opportunities the transition to net zero affords.
“The region’s businesses must take advantage of this offer if the economic benefit on offer is to stay in the region and not be squandered to other areas in the UK.”
