Project Director: Dr Rachel Macrorie
Project Duration: 2023-2024

This project tackles a priority climate mitigation issue – how to build a skilled and inclusive labour force required to decarbonise Britain’s 25 million existing homes by 2050, or before. This challenge is set in the context of the European 'Fit for 55' package and recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which whilst recognising the need for accelerated building retrofit rates, fail to detail implications for addressing significant labour and skills shortages associated with scaled neighbourhood-level housing energy retrofit. The research builds on a review of the latest academic literature coupled with insights from a two-day discursive workshop between STEM and SSH academics, and diverse stakeholders from exemplar retrofit training/education interventions across England, Wales, Scotland, as well as key European cities. The project will advance intellectual understanding and deliver policy recommendations that highlight potential diverse pathways for housing retrofit inclusive skills development and (re)training provision.

The project team also includes Hadi Arbabi (University of Sheffield), May Zune (University of Sheffield), Kate Simpson (Imperial College London & Manchester School of Architecture), Faye Wade (University of Sheffield) and Richard Hanna (Imperial College London).