May 2024

The Green Construction Advisory Panel (GCAP) has been awarded the ‘School/ Educational Organisation’ winner in the Exeter Sustainability Awards 2022. GCAP is a member-led committee of over thirty local building service, housing, and construction businesses, supported by local authorities, charities and training providers across the South West. The group exists to improve and develop sustainable training and education opportunities for the housing and construction industry. Exeter City council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed to making Exeter a carbon-neutral city by 2030, twenty years earlier than the government’s national commitment of 2050. The construction sector is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the city of Exeter. To ensure Exeter reaches the target of carbon neutral by 2030, homes across the city need to be made more energy efficient. As part of this, the council’s retrofit programme will see whole houses refurbished with heat pumps, wall and roof insulation, and solar panel photovoltaic roof panels to deliver the highest energy standards. Whist demand for retrofit is high across Exeter and the wider Devon region, there is a shortage of skilled labour to deliver the programme. Supported by local funding streams, including the Social Development Fund (SDF) and in collaboration with Heart of the South West LEP, GCAP has been formed to help develop and create training programmes and qualifications to train the future workforce in green construction skills such as retrofit. These qualifications will be available to

Exeter College is proud to be part of a consortium of Further Education and training providers to deliver skills to the South West. Working in partnership with the Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and the Somerset Chamber of Commerce the consortium has been created to act as a catalyst to align educational provision with business needs in the region.  Consortium members, Exeter College, City College Plymouth, Bridgewater & Taunton College, Petroc, South Devon College, Strode College, Yeovil College, Focus Training and SWATPRO (DSTPN) are delighted to have each been awarded a share of £2.5m from the Department for Education for two projects; “The Heart of the South West Collaboration for Success”, and “Green Skills for the Future”.    Members of the consortium will collaborate to deliver regionally significant projects which focus on delivering skills and training in green construction, automotive, digital, engineering and advanced propulsion.    As part of this vision Exeter College has ambitious plans to develop the first Retrofit Skills Centre in Devon, working with Taylor Lewis and designed by APG, the centre will be an essential addition to the College’s Construction Centre at Sowton Industrial Estate.  To enable collaborative success, the College has set-up the new Green Skills Advisory Panel (GCAP). GCAP is a member-led committee of local building services, housing and construction businesses supported by local authorities, charities and training providers across the South West. The clear purpose is to upskill current workforces and provide green careers,

Exeter College is delighted to announce the signing of Paul Brown as the College’s lead lecturer in Retrofit and Green Skills. Paul is delivering vital training to upskill the local workforce through the College’s Green Construction Skills Bootcamps. The 12 week bootcamps offer hands-on training for domestic retrofit, providing a strong understanding of the retrofit agenda and a Level 2 Award in Domestic Retrofit. As suggested by local businesses, the bootcamps offer added value modules through the National Energy Action (NEA) charity to support upskilling in fuel poverty, energy efficiency, decarbonisation and more. Paul started as an Apprentice plasterer restoring ornamental plasterwork and installing external wall insulation. He then moved into management and through further education and career development, obtained senior directorship roles across companies in the housing, commercial, retail, and renewable sectors. In 2016, Paul designed and developed an innovative new product for the insulation sector and took it to market, launching SWIFIX. Following this, Paul took a role in the social housing sector, leading large teams across the South West as regional Head of Operations. In the last 15 years, Paul has been involved in renewables and insulation works and recently became a retrofit coordinator. As a member of the training committee within the Insulated and Cladding Association (INCA), Paul is at the forefront of change in the sector, developing the skills needed for the retrofit requirements. Paul also plays an active role in the Green Construction Advisory Panel (GCAP),