With much of the industry now working to PAS 2030 / 2035 regulations the need for retrofit training has never been greater.
In this feature we look at the current options and availability of Retrofit training.
What Retrofit Courses Are There?
Currently showing on Ofqual register are:
- ABBE L3 Certificate for Retrofit Assessors – L3 Certificate for Retrofit Assessors
- NOCN Cskills Awards Level 2 in Understanding Domestic Retrofit – created with assistance from The Retrofit
Academy – Level 2 Award in Understanding Domestic Retrofit - Open College Network (OCN) West Midlands Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management
– Provider for The Retrofit Academy – Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management
Entry requirements for the L5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management are:
“Learners should hold a professional qualification in a building-related subject such as architecture, surveying, engineering or construction management) or a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level 3 or above in a subject related to the management or supervision of construction and domestic construction projects.
Learners will also need to be familiar with domestic construction techniques, able to read and understand construction drawings and specifications and be familiar with the Building Regulations and with construction health
and safety regulations and practice”. This could be an NVQ or SVQ (where relevant) in Occupational Work Supervision (OWS) L3, Construction Contracting Operations (CCO) L3 or Construction Site Supervision (CSS) L4 or CSM L6 or Constructing Contracting Operations Management (CCOM) L6 (these are higher so supersede others).
Duration Of Courses
See links to course details above.
Course Funding
OCN L5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management – Funded for 16-19 yearolds through the Government but potentially there’d be limited uptake as 16 year olds won’t necessarily have the L3 RPL requirement to get on the course??
NOCN_Cskills Awards L2 in Understanding Domestic Retrofit – Government funded Adult Skills £195, anybody unemployed and prison inmates can access this. This is currently running from Feb 2021 to July 2025. NB – this appears to be a short course that will likely tie in directly to content on the L5 Diploma for the Retrofit Coordinator as it’s been developed with The Retrofit Academy (L5 diploma delivered by The Open College Network)
ABBE Assessor qualification is not funded as this is normally done through employers.
Questions And Answers
Are there any specific Retrofit roles/qualification in order to meet a retrofit brief/design?
No, there isn’t, not as in a specific Retrofit job role, entitled as such. There are persons or organisations referenced on PAS2030 3.24 as “(Retrofit) Installer – persons or organisations undertaking the physical installation of an energy efficiency measure(s) in an existing dwelling‘
Is it a combination of EWI & IBT trades + other energy efficiency measures in the RMI sector?
Yes, this is what the Retrofit Co-ordinator will co-ordinate, not dissimilar to a project manager. This person is not out there on site, carrying out the job, but overseeing the work, able to spot errors, or foresee problems, or manage hold ups. If the Retrofit Coordinator is only occasionally visiting the site, no need for a CSCS card but if they become a regular visitor then a CSCS card would be needed. This could become a problem as the L5 diploma is only theory and cards are only issued for VQs, competency based quals.
Of the qualifications being delivered – how are they mapped to PAS2030 & PAS2035?
L5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management, delivered by the Open College Network is explicitly quoted in PAS2035 as being the qualification required/main route for the Retrofit Coordinator role (other routes are specified but need to be evidenced via RPL or as accredited training on the OFQUAL register- refer to Annex A3 on PAS2035.
PAS2030 3.21 states the Retrofit Coordinator must be a: ‘person qualified as a specialist retrofit project manager, taking overall responsibility for overseeing the assessment of dwellings, the identification, specification and evaluation of energy efficiency measures for installation at a given dwelling as a single project, and their subsequent monitoring and evaluation’ (pg. 5 PAS2030:2019). They must also be appointed in accordance with PAS2035 (see point above).
