The government has launched new grant schemes to subsidise training for heat pump installers and heat network professionals.
The government has announced £5 million to help build a skilled workforce to scale up heat pump installation. At more than 60 approved training centres across England heating engineers who want to learn the skills needed to qualify as a heat pump engineer will be able to get £500 off the cost of training (typically around £600). The initiative aims to help provide more than 6,000 heat pump installers. The government says heating manufacturers including Baxi, Ideal Heating, NIBE, Vaillant, and Worcester Bosch are expected to offer additional discounts and offers to participating trainees. These benefits could be worth up to a further £500 in product vouchers, additional training and other support, helping trainees put their new skills into practice.   
Meanwhile, a Heat Training Grant Competition for heat networks has also opened today for training providers to bid for £500 discounts to train up to 4,000 new heat network professionals. Interested providers are encouraged to apply through the newly launched Heat Training Grant Competition on GOV.UK before 8 August.
With the number of heat networks in England steadily growing and expected to increase, thousands more engineers, installers and operators will be needed to learn to install and maintain heat networks. Trainees can expect to learn everything from heat network feasibility and design, to construction, operation and maintenance.
Also launching today is the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition, offering £30 million to build new factories or expand existing ones and to retool and rework factories to manufacture heat pumps and heat pump components. The competition is available across the UK and projects can bid for a maximum of £15 million (€15 million in Northern Ireland) of funding per scheme. Organisations can apply for funding to upgrade their manufacturing plants by visiting GOV.UK. The competition will be open for applications until 4 October.

Baxi responds
Baxi has followed up the government announcement with its own installer incentive scheme, pairing the government vouchers with ‘Baxi Works’ points. Baxi will also support trainees with additional free CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and free supervised commissioning of their first heat pump installation for a limited period.
Baxi will give 15,000 Baxi Works loyalty points to installers receiving the Heat Training Grant. To be eligible, installers will need to complete an accredited Heat Pump Training Course with Baxi at the company’s Warwick, Dartford or Warrington training centres, and register a Baxi air source heat pump (ASHP) via Baxi Works. The points will then be credited to their account to spend on a range of items from the Baxi Works Reward Catalogue.
Baxi has put together a full air source heat pump support package to familiarise installers with heat pump technology and its own air source heat pump range.