25% of construction firms cut back on green skills training

A quarter of construction firms are decreasing their investment in green skills training for staff because of uncertainty over government policy, a survey has revealed.

The news comes as the government confirms further delays in the roll-out of the Green Deal for businesses.

The survey of 500 employers in the industry, commissioned by training certification body EAL, revealed 25% of employers have cut back on their investment in training following uncertainty over the future of major government policy initiatives such as the solar electricity feed-in tariff (FIT) and the Green Deal.

Over the past months the government has been involved in a running controversy over its decision to slash the FIT in half, the timing of which was subject to a successful legal challenge.

There have also been increasing concerns over how the details of the Green Deal scheme will work and what the timing for its launch is.

Last week, the Department of Energy and Climate Change confirmed that the Green Deal would not be rolled out to businesses until “a few months” after it is launched for homes.

Nearly a third of employers said a lack of clarity over how renewable energy technologies would be supported by government was a concern.

Ann Watson, managing director of EAL, said: “Businesses do not know which technologies will be supported and, therefore, are not investing and preparing their staff for the future of energy production in the UK.”