Collaborative Partnership Award: Mobile Heat Pump Training Centre
Energy Saving Trust runs the Green Heat Installer Engagement Programme, which provides support for businesses in Scotland to help them to participate fully and effectively in the supply chain for clean heat, energy efficiency and microgeneration installations.
As part of the programme, and to contribute to Scotland’s heat decarbonisation, Energy Saving Trust formed a collaborative partnership with Energy Skills Partnership (ESP), South Lanarkshire College and NIBE Energy Solutions, to develop the Mobile Heat Pump Training Centre.
They won the Collaborative Partnership Award for their work on this project, creating a mobile training hub to upskill heating engineers in rural and remote communities across Scotland, providing accessible, hands-on training to the heating industry.
Training vacuums exist in our rural places
In Scotland, there are an estimated 416,000 households in remote and rural areas, according to research in 2023, meaning the country needs to mobilise tens of thousands of installers to decarbonise these homes.
In the whole of the UK, the number of installers required will be 62,000 by 2035.
The Green Heat Installer Engagement Programme identified challenges the industry was facing from the lack of training provision in remote and rural areas of Scotland. By talking to industry and training providers, they identified a lack of access to training for upskilling traditional heating engineers on heat pumps in rural and remote areas.
Energy Saving Trust decided it was best to bring the training to where it is required, meaning it needed to deliver an adaptable and mobile provider that could serve anywhere in Scotland.
A mobile solution
The project was fully funded by the Scottish Government and came to fruition thanks to a collaboration between Energy Saving Trust, Energy Skills Partnership (ESP), South Lanarkshire College, and heat pump manufacturer NIBE Energy Systems.
The mobile training facility was launched by Mr Graeme Dey, Minister for Higher Education, Further Education, and Minister for Veterans at South Lanarkshire College on Wednesday 2 August 2023.
The mobile centre is an innovative classroom that can travel throughout Scotland to deliver an industry recognised qualification, BPEC certified heat pump training. It has working air and ground source heat pump systems with water tanks, smart controls and all the equipment needed to deliver the training.
It went to visit many colleges in Scotland, including South Lanarkshire College, Dumfries & Galloway College, Dundee & Angus College, Edinburgh College, and Forth Valley College. It has gone as far north as Shetland and visited BE-ST in 2025 after winning the award.
The impact
The centre has helped boost the number of heat pump installers, which will, in turn, lead to an increase in clean heat installations.
Before the initial training programme launch, South Lanarkshire College connected with 1,100 individuals through various events in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The centre has travelled as far as Shetland twice and delivered training to 98 people from the industry and 48 apprentices. Additionally, 275 people engaged with the mobile heat pump training centre during its visits to South Lanarkshire, Dundee, and Angus Colleges.
The training was delivered by BPEC qualified heat pump trainers from colleges in Scotland to provide high-quality training that had attendees feeling more equipped and confident using heat pump technology.
Mobile Heat Pump Training Centre at BE-ST
Since winning the award, the Mobile Heat Pump Training Centre visited our Domestic Retrofit Training Workshop at BE-ST in June 2025. The training unit received positive feedback from our partner:
“The mobile unit added real value to the session, and it was a fantastic opportunity for the group to experience the technology first-hand. These workshops are an important part of raising awareness around current training and upskilling opportunities available across the college network.”
“We’re proud to have played a part in making heat pump training more accessible. This award is testament to the power of collaboration in supporting Scotland’s net zero journey, especially in rural and remote communities that are often left behind.”
Going forward
The mobile heat pump training centre hosted and supported by South Lanarkshire college is available to provide heat pump training in rural and remote areas of Scotland. Energy Saving Trust has funding available until the end of March 2026 to subsidise training in the van for those areas lacking local training facilities. If you are interested in finding out more information, send an email to greeninstallerscotland@est.org.uk.
“We are extending the reach of the Mobile Heat Pump Training Centre with upcoming training sessions planned for rural and remote communities across Scotland. To further support accessibility, funding is being offered to assist installers in gaining the skills needed to meet the growing demand for heat pumps.”