Good Energy and Wiltshire College join forces to open UK green skills training centre

9 Mar

New facility at Lackham campus focuses on renewable energy installation training as the UK works to expand its clean energy workforce.

Renewable energy supplier Good Energy and Wiltshire College & University Centre have opened a green skills training facility at the college’s Lackham campus in Wiltshire, England.

The site forms part of a £500,000 Green Skills Innovation Centre designed to train students and industry workers in technologies such as solar power, heat pumps, battery storage, and smart home energy systems.

The project responds to growing demand for technicians able to install and maintain low-carbon technologies as the UK expands renewable power and electrifies heating in homes and businesses. The centre received partial funding from Wiltshire Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Training environment built around real installations

At the centre of the facility is an Eco House developed with Good Energy, designed to replicate real residential installations so trainees can work directly with the technologies they are likely to encounter in the field.

Teaching bays allow students to train on systems such as air source heat pumps, while a replica roof at ground level enables trainees to install and commission solar photovoltaic panels. The facility also allows students to monitor energy generation and household consumption through connected smart energy systems.

The college says the centre will support both full-time students and professionals already working in construction roles. Short courses are expected to help electricians, plumbers, heating engineers, and builders develop renewable installation skills as demand increases.

Industry partnership linked to workforce demand

Good Energy plans to use the facility to support training for its own engineers as the company expands its solar and clean technology services across the UK.

Carl Hogg, Services Managing Director at Good Energy, says the clean energy transition depends on building practical skills across the workforce. “Britain’s shift to clean, secure, home-grown energy depends not just on technology, but on people,” he says.

Hogg adds that hands-on experience is essential for trainees entering the sector: “The Eco House at the Green Skills Innovation Centre gives trainees the practical experience they need to become the renewable engineers of the future.”

He says partnerships between industry and colleges will be necessary if the UK is to meet its energy targets: “We’re proud to partner with Wiltshire College & University Centre to help build the workforce that will install the heat pumps, solar panels and smart systems powering the next era of British energy.”

Regional training linked to national clean energy plans

The centre opens as the UK government expands programs linked to its clean energy strategy and the growth of renewable technologies across the country.

Chris McDonald says the transition is expected to create significant employment across the region: “Our clean energy mission is set to create more than 15,000 jobs in the South West alone by 2030.”

McDonald says facilities like the new centre will help build the workforce required to support those roles: This new facility will help to meet this demand, providing people in Wiltshire and the surrounding area with the training and skills needed to take advantage of the thousands of well-paid, good jobs being delivered by the clean energy transition.”

Iain Hatt, Principal and Chief Executive of Wiltshire College & University Centre, says the centre has been designed to reflect the technologies now being adopted across the energy sector: “Our Green Skills Innovation Centre is designed to help employers understand what is possible with today’s renewable technologies and to provide the skilled workforce required to deliver it.”

Hatt adds that collaboration with industry was central to the design of the facility: “Partnering with Good Energy - one of the UK’s most experienced clean-energy organisations – on the Eco House has been invaluable in ensuring it reflects real industry needs.”

He says the goal is to prepare both students and employers for the transition to low-carbon energy systems:“Together, we will help students and employers gain the confidence and capability to seize the opportunities of the green transition.”