Eco-Retrofit Course with Harrogate College

People Powered Retrofit headed over to Yorkshire in January and March to deliver Eco-Retrofit training with Harrogate College and Zero Carbon Harrogate. With attendees including installers, teachers, DIYers, architects, and more, the sessions were an opportunity to share retrofit expertise and learn from one another about the practicalities of retrofit works.

The college has been working hard to improve green skills in the Harrogate area, hosting the first Harrogate District Climate Action Festival in 2021 and collaborating with local community action group Zero Carbon Harrogate. When the college approached People Powered Retrofit to deliver training for their own staff and local construction professionals, we jumped at the chance to head over the Pennines and share some of our expertise.

Working with the team at the college and Zero Carbon Harrogate, we delivered two training sessions over four weekends in January and March. Our expert tutors - Nick Parsons, Marion Lloyd-Jones and James Hunt - were joined by a total of 32 learners. Each course brought together a real mix of people with an array of experiences and perspectives: installers, college staff, DIYers, architects, and more!

Not only were we able to use the college’s classrooms to explore the principles and theory of retrofit, we could also take advantage of the workshop facilities to see retrofit materials and techniques in action. Our tutors (and some brave learners!) got stuck into rendering insulation, solving common problems with detailing, and learning how to best employ air-tightness materials.

It was a pleasure to see all these people coming together to learn about retrofit and hear their thoughts on making sustainable, healthy buildings spill out of the classroom as lively conversations continued into break times and lunch.

We look forward to maintaining our partnership with the college and Zero Carbon Harrogate as they further build retrofit skills in their area. We are also currently working to bring more retrofit courses to Greater Manchester and beyond, later in the year.