The Green Business Support Scheme is being funded by Milton Keynes Council and delivered by the National Energy Foundation
(NEF). The aim of this scheme is to give local businesses, working in the construction industry, the opportunity to increase their income and grow their business. This growth will contribute towards the Council’s commitment to make Milton Keynes carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon negative by 2050.

The construction industry is a large sector and is undergoing many changes aimed at delivering more sustainable practices, for example the phasing out of gas in new homes. Existing homes need to be made more energy efficient, through retrofitting, and the amount of energy generated from renewable sources must be increased if we are to achieve the “Net-Zero” targets set out by the Council and the Government. Builders, installers and general tradespeople will play a vital role in delivering these changes; in the goods and services they offer to their customers, as well as in the way they conduct their own operations. The Green Business Support Scheme is offering them a chance to get a head-start in adapting to the massive changes their sector will undergo in the coming years. By receiving training and funding from the Scheme, local tradespeople will gain knowledge of the sustainable practices they can use for their business to thrive in this new climate.

One of the changes that their sector is undergoing is to the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) which form a standard for the installation of energy efficiency measures in existing buildings. It requires installers to be certified to the appropriate PAS standard by a Retrofit Coordinator in order to take part in government-funded energy efficiency schemes in England such as Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and others.

The funding provided by the Council is enabling NEF to offer a Scheme which prepares businesses and individuals based in Milton Keynes for these changes, and to offer wider training on sustainable business practices. NEF is offering:

1. Free
   online webinars, at flexible times, for business interested in greening their activities and/or developing a formal environmental policy. For more information on the training, please click here.
2. Fully funded training for individuals to become accredited Retrofit Coordinators through the Essentials Online course delivered by the Retrofit Academy. This training is suitable for anyone with experience of working in the building trades and is very much in demand in the current climate. Contact us at the National Energy Foundation on greenbusiness@nef.org.uk to register your interest.
3. Funded training for tradespeople to deliver energy performance improvements to existing homes. The focus of this training is to help local business obtain PAS2030 certification through TrustMark. Funding is available for National Vocational Qualifications in applicable trades, to develop a Quality Management System and to do Health and Safety training. To register your interest please complete this application form.