Aira launches training academy in Sheffield

Aira has opened a heat pump training academy in Sheffield.

The Aira Academy will act as the Northern training headquarters, welcoming hundreds of recruits this year alone at all stages of their career, including apprentices and existing gas engineers, to become heat pump specialists within clean energy-tech roles.

Aira is providing an avenue for existing gas installers to develop, progress and future-proof their careers. Aira is also keen to employ apprentices who are pursuing a career in renewables and from September, will be onboarding apprentices from the local area in partnership with RNN Group.

The government estimates that by 2028, the country will need to have 27,000 installers to meet the national installation target – up from just 3000 in 2022.

Aira is committed to hiring 8,000 clean energy roles over the next decade to help facilitate the transition.

With an aim to significantly decrease the of time of a heat pump installation through specialisation while simultaneously increasing quality, the Aira experience minimises disruption for customers, which is considered a barrier to adoption.

Located in White Rose Business Park, the centre hosts multiple training rooms and demonstration zones where trainees will be able to sharpen their skills and practice a variety of heat pump installation scenarios.

The Aira Heat Pump, launched earlier this year, is four times more efficient than a conventional gas boiler, reducing heating related costs by 25% and heating related carbon emissions by 75%, rising to 100% when green electricity.

Pamela Brown, Aira Group Chief Marketing Officer, said:

I’m immensely proud to open the first-of-a-kind Aira Academy in Sheffield, which enables our ambition to take Europe off gas by training the much-needed green skills workforce.

By empowering the next generation of clean energy experts, Aira is able to deliver a complete end-to-end service with high-quality installations and the reassurance of a 15-year Comfort Guarantee with the Aira Heat Pump. It’s electrifying to see so many individuals move over from roles in fossil-fuels to careers in clean energy-tech and we know this is just the start of a shift in paradigm to a more sustainable future.

Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East and Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, said:

It’s fantastic to see innovative companies such as Aira set up their advanced training facilities in Sheffield, increasing employment opportunities and bringing investment to the local area. If as a country, we are serious about working towards net zero, we are going to need many new installers to meet the predicted demand for low carbon heat pumps with over 230,000 homes in Sheffield still using gas boilers.

Aira will be at InstallerSHOW – running 25-27 June at the NEC.