A group of professional bodies and other stakeholders have published an open letter to Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Housing, calling on the Scottish Government to invest in training for energy retrofit skills in Scotland.
The letter was authored by directors of the Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA) and Dr Keith Baker FRSA, a Research Fellow at Glasgow Caledonian University and a director of the Scottish ‘think and do’ tank, Common Weal.
To date, signatories include Historic Environment Scotland, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE Scotland), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), and the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT Scotland East).
The letter notes that at present, there is no dedicated Scottish Government funding to support training for retrofit skills—despite the clear and growing need for thousands of trained professionals, including builders, heating engineers, architects, surveyors, insulation installers, and more. In contrast, the UK Government has already committed millions of pounds through the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training Competition, Skills Bootcamps, and other funding streams to ensure the workforce is equipped to deliver retrofit at scale.
The group warns that without similar investment Scotland faces a shortage of skilled workers to meet demand, delays in meeting climate and housing targets, losing job opportunities to other parts of the UK, and missed economic and social benefits of a low-carbon building sector.
They are calling up the Scottish Government to: commit funding for retrofit training and workforce development as part of its climate and housing programmes; to work with colleges, training providers, local authorities, professional bodies and industry to scale up delivery rapidly; to ensure access to training for those currently underrepresented in the construction workforce, including women and young people; and to align training funding with the delivery of area-based retrofit schemes.
The letter has been timed to coincide with the forthcoming publication of the Planning and Discovery report for the Scottish Government’s Heat and Energy Efficiency Technical Suitability Assessment (HEETSA), for which Dr Baker served as a peer-reviewer (having led the production of the earlier Policy Report), with teams including SEDA’s current Chair and Vice Chair.
There is also an associated petition to the Scottish Parliament that individuals can sign.
The letter and link to the petition can be found here: https://seda.scot/open-letter
Glo Lo, a director of SEDA, said, “There is a growing need for the Scottish Government to lead and invest in training for a just transition that matches the urgency of our climate and biodiversity breakdown. SEDA has for many years led the dissemination of healthy built environment knowledge drawn from its diverse membership in the construction industries; now, we need that knowledge to be implemented. Retrofit is fundamental to limit resource depletion, maximise energy efficiency and comfort, and tackle fuel poverty. Without funding for training and upskilling, we fall into the trap of talk without action. The signatories of this letter demonstrate a grassroots demand that must not be delayed any further.”
Dr Keith Baker said, “The list of respected organisations and companies who’ve signed up to the letter is humbling, and shows just how serious the retrofit community is about ensuring everyone in Scotland can enjoy comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient homes and workplaces. However, achieving that goal will require ramping up the delivery of training and upskilling across the education sector and beyond, which means leadership and investment from the Scottish Government will be essential.”
Full list of signatories:
- Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA)
- Common Weal
- Historic Environment Scotland
- Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS)
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
- Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers (CIBSE) Scotland
- Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
- Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, Scotland East
- Energy Action Scotland
- Dundee Civic Trust
- Scientists for Global Responsibility
- Fraser/Livingstone Architects
- Studio AWA
- Pattiesmuir Ltd
- ArchiLife
- Tinsdale Architects Ltd
- Arbour
- FEL Scotland
- DDS Architecture
- OiSA Designs
- Zest Architects