Our commitment to training 3,500 apprentices

Today, we welcomed Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to our British Gas Training Academy in Leicester, where we announced our commitment to recruit and train 3,500 apprentices over the next ten years – or to put it simply that’s one every day this decade.

I’m delighted that not only will we be helping to provide the green skills required to support the Government’s target to deliver net zero and their Plan for Jobs, but we will be delivering highly skilled and well-paid jobs for our engineers of the future.

As someone who started their career with a traineeship I know how rewarding and exciting it is to set yourself on a career path where you can learn from your tutors and peers and gain practical on-the-job experience.

Our recruitment drive for apprentices is a real opportunity to address the underrepresentation of women in engineering. We must have a workforce that reflects our customer base and creates a welcoming environment for all. It’s why we have a targeted campaign to attract and retain more female apprentices and have set an ambition for 50 per cent of recruits to be women.

One of the great things about our apprenticeship scheme is the opportunity to gain more skills along the way. Once our apprentices are qualified as Smart Energy Experts, they will be upskilled to install and maintain low-carbon home solutions, including heat pumps and hydrogen-ready boilers, and provide essential energy efficiency advice to customers. All these skills are critical to making the transition to low carbon hassle-free and affordable for our customers.

The Climate Change Committee predicts that 18 million electric vehicles will be on British roads by 2030, which means that millions of homeowners will be looking to install electric vehicle chargers for the first time. This is why one of the key green skills that we're equipping our engineers with is installing electric vehicle charging points. At the same time, we're expanding our fleet of electric vehicles. During their visit, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor took delivery of the 500th British Gas electric van, one of the 3,000 Vauxhall Vivaro-e vehicles we’ve purchased over the last two years, representing the largest electric vehicle order for a commercial fleet in the UK.

We're keeping the momentum going, and tomorrow we'll kick-off a UK drive to boost the take-up of apprenticeship roles. Two new British Gas electric vans will be travelling from John O'Groats to Land’s End, visiting key cities, including Glasgow, Salford, Cardiff and Wolverhampton, with engineers encouraging people to gain green skills by applying for an apprenticeship.

If you're interested in applying for an apprenticeship, find out more about what we can offer you on our careers website. Come and help us create a more inclusive and sustainable future that supports our communities, our planet and each other.