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Put your business on the path to net zero — with the Flexible Skills Programme

NZIW

Welsh Government funding to develop your team’s net zero skills

In July, the Welsh Government launched its new initiative, the Flexible Skills Programme: Net Zero Skills — to help employers across Wales start or progress their journeys towards net zero. 

The initiative has been designed to address the growing need for sustainability practices in Welsh business — providing you with the tools to pioneer meaningful change across your organisation. 

The initiative will provide businesses with a financial contribution towards the training cost of employees, to help overcome the net zero challenges being faced by businesses just like yours. 

Funding can be provided for training covering a vast range of net zero skills, including: 

  • Renewable energy and heat generation, including energy efficiency and management — which covers renewable technology systems, energy storage technologies, energy audit and management and more. 
  • Cabon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) — including capture and utlisation technologies, carbon storage methods and CCS infrastructure development. 
  • Fuel switching (away from natural gas and/or other unbated fossil fuels) — examples include low carbon hydrogen generation technologies, hydrogen combustion and the electrification process. 
  • Circular economy, sustainable materials and waste — covering circular economy principles, green building design, sustainable material selection, life cycle assessment and waste management. 
  • Electric mobility and transportation — electric vehicle technology (including automotive and rail), sustainable transport systems and charging infrastructure development. 
  • Agriculture, forestry, timber and land use — developing sustainable agricultural practices, agroforestry and carbon sequestration, and land use management for carbon mitigation. 
  • Decarbonisation plans and carbon accounting — covering carbon accounting principles and good practice, for the development of credible net zero plans. 
  • Construction and retrofitting of residential buildings — covers all retrofitting techniques, including high quality roof, wall and floor insulation and the installation of smart renewable energy systems, 
  • Leadership and management — training so employees can develop net zero plans and related business planning, including supply chain management, behaviour and change management and carbon reporting. 

If you are an employer in any business sector in Wales, you are invited to apply for the funding, as long as the training falls within one of categories mentioned above. If you are successful, you will receive a grant award of 50% of training costs which fall within the listed training areas, up to a maximum Welsh Government contribution of £25,000.

As Wales moves further on its journey to net zero, these skills will become essential to heavy industry. In fact, we believe that investing in them early with government support is an important step to future-proofing your business. 

Meeting our ambitions for net-zero carbon emissions is essential for our planet and ecology, but it also holds huge opportunities for the Welsh economy. Accelerating decarbonisation and the growth of green industries can help unlock jobs and prosperity — while giving Wales a competitive edge in the race to net zero.

Applications don’t close until March 2024, so there is still time to apply for funding. To find out more about the Flexible Skills Programme: Net Zero Skills, visit: businesswales.gov.wales/skillsgateway/flexible-skills-programme