CRC Huntingdon opens Retrofit & Green Skills Training Centre

On 18th March 2025, Cambridge Regional College (CRC) opened its new Retrofit & Green Skills Training Centre at its Huntingdon Campus. Funded through the Local Skills Improvement Fund, the centre is designed to meet the retrofit and green skills training needs of the region as we move forward to achieving Net Zero.

Charlotte Horobin, CEO of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce had the honour of cutting the ribbon alongside Mark Robertson, Principal and CEO of CRC. 400,000 skilled retrofitters will be needed by 2050, to deliver high-standard energy efficiency upgrades. The centre provides the training, equipment and resources to help upskill the current workforce and train the future green workforce.
Homes are responsible for 48% of carbon emissions from the built environment (UK Green Building Council). Retrofitting is the process to bring older buildings up to modern standards of thermal efficiency. Retrofitting 10.3million homes in the region will create approximately 523,000 jobs by 2050, emphasising the need for a trained workforce.

Joined by representatives from local government, industry and community organisations, the opening included a tour of the facilities and a chance to try out the immersive digital learning experiences. Extended reality training with VR headsets enables participants to be efficiently and safely trained in areas such as wind-turbine maintenance, air source heat pump installation, onsite retrofit and solar panel maintenance and many more. The green skills discovery zone also includes a solar power demonstration unit, capable of replicating how solar integrates with a typical house.
Mark Robertson, CRC’s Principal, said: “We are very excited to add the new retrofit centre to our facilities and programmes to develop sustainability and green skills, particularly in construction. There will be so many new job opportunities in this area and this centre will help to train people for those jobs now and into the future.

“Our thanks go to the many partners who work with us, in particular the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, to develop and deliver these much-needed opportunities.”

Courses on offer within the Retrofit & Green Skills Training Centre include, but aren’t limited to:
• Level 1 Award in Recycling and Waste Management;
• Level 2 Award in Understanding Domestic Retrofit;
• Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Environmental Sustainability; and
• Level 3 Award in the Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Types.

The courses available at Huntingdon further complement the green courses offered at CRC’s Cambridge site, which includes electric vehicle maintenance, air source heat pump installation and extensive construction skills training.

For more information, please visit: www.camre.ac.uk/retrofit-training