Being more environmentally-friendly and trying to save money on energy bills is at the forefront of most households' and businesses' minds at the moment.
So it comes as no surprise that green energy companies across Gloucestershire are on a recruitment drive for more staff, to keep up with demand for installations and upgrades to greener methods of heating and powering homes and businesses.
Renewable energy specialist, Cotswold Energy Group, is one of those companies seeking new staff members and currently has 77 employees on its payroll, with three divisions of domestic, commercial and finance teams across the business.
Within the busy domestic and commercial teams, there are several departments at the Stonehouse-based energy specialist, including design; solar PV; electrical; procurement; internal project management; sales; logistics; fleet; and engineering and installation.
It is currently seeking suitable candidates for a number of new positions at varying grades, including a commercial project site manager; a commercial technical sales manager; renewable designers in both mechanical and electrical disciplines; electricians; and heating engineers, with or without experience in heat pumps.
James Price, commercial director at Cotswold Energy Group, said: 'Our recruitment strategy is very person-centric. We are trying to find people who hold the same values that we strive for, around capability, respectfulness, professionalism and efficiency.
'A lot of our recruitment has been from word-of-mouth and when we ask our colleagues about what they most enjoy about working for CEG, one theme comes across over and over again — the people. Our culture is based around creating a family-focused environment where everyone’s contribution is valued and recognised.'
Cotswold Energy Group is looking forward to an exciting period of expansion in both its domestic and commercial divisions, after a large period of growth over the last 12 months, with an even larger order book going into 2024.
Of the expansion, Price said: 'On a commercial front, we are looking to continue our work with public sector organisations, with the focus being on decarbonisation of the buildings, but in addition to this we are also working with the private sector to look at how we can deliver low-carbon projects at a commercially affordable rate.
'And on the domestic side, we have strong growth within the homeowner category, but we are also expanding to include supporting the government's wider schemes, such as ECO4.'
The Energy Company Obligation, also known as ECO4, is a government energy-efficiency scheme in Great Britain, designed to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions, with energy companies tasked to deliver energy-efficiency measures to domestic premises.
Training for new employees at Cotswold Energy Group is placed at the utmost of importance, with the company also covering the cost of professional memberships and the renewals of accreditation that candidates may already hold.
Price said: 'Training programmes are really bespoke for the person and the role. Everyone will go through an induction and basic training around their role, but our focus is around tailoring an approach to the individual to understand where their strengths are and what areas we can strengthen.
'To this end we offer lots of training options and do not limit it, and we encourage the team to suggest courses that they are interested in.'
Some of the courses that its staff have recently completed or are carrying out include NVQ Level 7 in senior construction management; SMSTS (Site Manager Safety Training Scheme); non-licensable asbestos removal; Mental Health First Aider; and air source heat pumps installation; among many others on offer.
'We don’t set a specific time period for staff development as we believe that training is ongoing and that there is always something that you can be working on or towards. For us, really, it's about trying to improve people's skills and wellbeing by feeling valued and gaining more than just a salary,' said Price on its staff development values.
Cotswold Energy Group also has a number of apprenticeship opportunities for young people just getting started in their careers. Price said: 'We have apprenticeships for both electricians and plumbers. We work with South Gloucestershire and Stroud College and Gloucestershire College and are always looking for apprentices.
'We believe that apprenticeships and offering opportunities to young people is very important to ensure that the future of not just renewables is secured, but the construction industry as a whole is being positively promoted, and that we are bringing the next generation into it.'
