Chancellor visits business benefitting from green revolution

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, visited renewables training provider, GTEC in Hawes recently to see how the business is supporting the green revolution.

The company is leading the way when it comes to creating the “green” installers needed to meet carbon reduction targets, with Sunak shown how GTEC and the installers its training are taking advantage of the growing market offered by decarbonising homes.

At the end of last year the firm won a bid to provide heavily discounted training and certification to individuals and companies looking to upskill into heat-based renewables, backed by The Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through Midlands Energy Hub (MEH).

Named the Renewable Heat Installer Training & Support Scheme (RHITSS), the scheme offers vouchers which provide up to 70% off the cost of becoming a renewables installer. There are currently 1,000 individuals and 150 businesses signed-up to RHITSS – spaces that were filled within 10 days of the schemes launch. Vouchers can be used at GTEC and also other LCL Awards and BPEC approved centres throughout the UK.

During his trip, the Chancellor also met with local installers, heard about the company’s recent successes and met other industry representatives.

Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP for Richmond, said: “Despite Covid, and with the knowledge that there is a framework of national funding support introduced by government, GTEC has really seized an opportunity and are now a key player in the UK’s national strategy to achieve Net Zero.

“The RHITSS scheme has been a great success; GTEC has been able to pull together many different parts of the low carbon sector to deliver this ambitious programme very quickly. It’s been great to meet a local company playing their part in such an important national cause.”

GTEC’s MD, Griff Thomas, is a key representative for his industry, Chairing the Decarbonising Housing Group for Richmondshire and having contributed to most of the national renewable technology standards.

Thomas who is currently working with the British Commission in India, as part of the countries drive to de-carbonise its cities said: “It was a pleasure to meet Rishi and see his obvious enthusiasm for a low carbon future. We discussed the need for long-term and sustainable support to give to installers the confidence to invest in career development and the green agenda. The achievements of RHITSS is an example of what can happen when industry collaborates, thanks in particular to MEH which helped us get the scheme up and running in just three weeks.”