New heat pump academy 'will create 8,000 jobs'

Sarah Stevens, left, and Pamela Brown, front right, with the Aira apprentices

An academy is training heat pump engineers and hopes to create 8,000 new jobs over the next decade.

Clean energy company Aira has opened a northern academy training centre at Halfway, Sheffield, as part of its £300 million investment in the UK.

The academy will teach both apprentices and existing gas engineers who want to retrain as heat pump specialists.

The government offers a £7,500 grant towards installing a heat pump, with households paying the rest of the cost - typically between £3,000 and £6,000, according to Aira.

'Get stuck in'

Aira's chief marketing officer Pamela Brown said heat pumps reduce CO2 emissions by 75% and heating costs by 25%. She said they were also four times more efficient than a boiler.

"We want to hire 8,000 people to work for Aira and to be able to fit heat pumps in people's homes. We have already trained 150 people in this academy so far this year and that will just grow and grow.

“These are green skills and are jobs for the future. The government has a target to install 600,000 heat pumps so there is plenty of work to be done and these will be future-proofed roles.”

Oliver, a 17-year-old studying environmental science for one of his A levels, will start with Aira as an apprentice after sixth form.

"I thought an apprenticeship would mean less debt than university and I enjoy the hands-on learning, I want to get stuck in.

“I’m interested in everything about the climate, renewable energies, low carbon emissions and the sustainability side of it. I think [a heat pump] is the best way to reduce your carbon footprint print in your household."