Regal Academies in partnership with Building Heroes launch course to help meet critical demand for green skills

The Regal Academies Retrofit Assessor programme has launched, a collaborative initiative led by Regal, one of London’s leading residential-led mixed-use developers, in partnership with Capital City College and Armed Forces charity, Building Heroes. This award-winning national charity aids service leavers, veterans, and the wider military community in transitioning into the civilian workforce by providing access to comprehensive training and support, with the aim of helping the veteran community achieve meaningful careers in construction.

This pioneering initiative aims to address a significant skills gap in green professions by training both local people and those from the military community to be Retrofit Surveyors and Assessors to support London’s local authorities in their urgent need to upgrade the city’s built environment to meet sustainability goals.

As London seeks to hit ambitious 2030 decarbonisation targets, local authorities are facing increasing pressure to reduce emissions from housing stock. Retrofitting existing buildings is essential for achieving the UK’s broader net-zero goals, particularly in London, where aging infrastructure demands extensive energy efficiency improvements. Analysis for the Greater London Authority by Element Energy said that 210,000 homes need to be retrofitted per year from 2022 to 2030. With only 4,000 people working in retrofit, the skills gap is clear. To aid local councils in this mission, the new Retrofit Assessor programme will prepare professionals to assess and recommend sustainable upgrades for the city’s buildings.

Programme participants will gain skills aligned with PAS 2035 standards, equipping them to conduct property assessments that help determine the most effective retrofitting solutions. Graduates will be qualified for immediate employment, receiving certifications including the Certificates in Domestic Energy Assessment and Retrofit Assessor. With demand high and a skills gap in green sectors, these roles start with competitive salaries of £30,000 to £35,000, positioning graduates to support local authorities and energy providers in London and beyond.
This programme not only creates career opportunities for Londoners but directly addresses the urgent workforce needs of local councils, ensuring they have skilled professionals ready to implement the city’s decarbonisation plans. With a strong focus on green skills, this initiative represents a significant step in enabling local authorities to lead London’s path toward a more sustainable future.

The Retrofit Assessors course is an addition to the Regal Academies established construction multi-skills course, also delivered in partnership with Building Heroes and Capital City College, that equips its participants with a range of skills over a five-week course. Making use of Building Heroes’ expertise to deliver the programme to former military personnel and combining that with Regal’s ongoing work with local councils to help disadvantaged and underrepresented groups seeking to secure employment, cohorts of veterans and civilians undertake a five-week programme. Over the five weeks, the attendees secure a Level 1 Diploma in construction skills, a Level 1 Health & Safety Award, and a CSCS Card.

Ghislaine Halpenny, Director of ESG and Corporate Affairs said:

“Building on the success of the Regal Academies that first launched at the start of 2022, we are delighted to have welcomed our first learners onto our Retrofit Assessors course. We are immensely proud to have provided training opportunities for nearly 250 learners, and employment offers for many.

We now focus our attention on helping to bridge the retrofit skills gap. London is in dire need, and through the Regal Academies, we are able to help bring the capital’s housing stock up to standard and provide employment for groups in need.”

Chris Charles, Chief Executive of Building Heroes, said:

“We are delighted to diversify our training offerings in partnership with our academy sponsor, Regal, and our training provider, City College London. Both have been instrumental in supporting employment opportunities and training for the armed forces community.

Over the past ten years, we have trained more than 3,500 service leavers, offering a range of construction skills courses throughout England and Wales. Since the inaugural Regal Academy was established in 2022, we have trained nearly 250 service leavers in London with the support of Regal and City College London. The introduction of this new training programme, alongside our Construction Skills programme at the Regal Academy in Wembley, provides us with an exciting opportunity to expand our training offer, helping us develop to Retrofit Assessors and address the skills gap in both traditional and green construction in London.

We are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, and I am confident that together we will continue to achieve our goal of finding second careers in the construction sector for even more service leavers, veterans and local people too.”