The Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination & Risk Management is a qualification developed by The Retrofit Academy CIC in collaboration with Open College Network West Midlands (OCNWM). It has been shaped and curated over a decade by our technical directors and original authors of the BSI PAS 2035 standard. It is the only course in the UK that leads to accreditation to become a Retrofit Coordinator.
This is a new, highly specialised role offering fantastic opportunities for career development. The sector has many challenges, and becoming a Retrofit Coordinator will mean making a vital contribution to much-needed energy retrofit work as the UK moves toward Net Zero 2050 targets.
Because this role is so critical, we don’t just deliver top-quality, specialised training in the form of the Level 5 Diploma. We are also dedicated to providing ongoing mentoring, career support and professional development for Retrofit Coordinators post-qualification. This is part of our commitment to ensuring you are best positioned to seize the career opportunities offered by this qualification.
When you enrol for a fully-funded place on the Level 5 Diploma, you will also gain membership of The Retrofit Academy. This will grant you access to our specialist support programme to provide Retrofit Coordinators with ongoing professional mentorship, to help you put the PAS 2035 standard into practice.
The Level 5 Diploma consists of 150 hours of guided study and assignments; all carefully curated to help you learn how to lead domestic retrofit projects in compliance with the requirements of PAS 2035.
This Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination & Risk Management provides a comprehensive overview of key domestic retrofit processes and best practices. Applicants will learn the essential knowledge and skills needed to perform the role of Retrofit Coordinator.
This includes:
When you sign up to the course you will get access to The Retrofit Academy CIC Learner Management System; our state-of-the-art eLearning platform through which the course is delivered and your assignments are submitted.
To complete your qualification, you will need to complete 12 modules and deliver a case study (verbal presentation) to your assessor, in order to demonstrate your competence to practice as a Retrofit Coordinator. All assessors are experienced Retrofit Coordinators themselves who are qualified to provide you with a solid grounding in the theory and practice of domestic retrofit, and help you understand the pathway to PAS 2035 compliance.
As well as assessing your assignments, our expert assessors are on-hand to offer you invaluable guidance and feedback on your progress.
The course takes between 100 to 150 hours as a guide. This does depend on your current level of existing retrofit knowledge, and even how quickly you type! The time is divided fairly evenly between learning, completing assignments and preparing for your case study presentation.
You will need to complete all 12 modules and assignments and deliver your final case study by 15th August 2022.
To qualify for a free place on this course you must live in the West Midlands and meet the course eligibility criteria outlined below.
To be eligible for the Level 5 course, there are three requirements you must meet:
Qualifications
For our Essential Online and Essentials Classroom packages (previously ‘Blended Learning’), this carries a minimum requirement of 12 Level 3 credits in a built environment subject.
It will usually tell you how many credits your qualification carries on your certificate. A university degree is usually at Level 5 or 6, but the subject must be relevant to the built environment. Domestic Energy Assessors usually hold a Level 3 qualification that carries sufficient credits.
Professional Competencies
In addition to the relevant qualifications, you will also need to be competent in certain areas expected by a built environment professional, as defined by the PAS 2035 standard. We do not teach these things as part of the course, so you will need to have a firm grasp on concepts such as:
Built Environment Experience
Finally, you need to have at least two years’ experience of construction management in the built environment and have worked on retrofit or energy efficiency projects. We do not require this to be in any specific capacity.
If you are uncertain whether you meet our eligibility criteria, please check with us by emailing our team: info@retrofitacademy.org.
Applications are now closed.
The world of domestic retrofit is complex and fast-moving. That’s why our eLearning materials are curated by our Technical Directors, Dr Peter Rickaby and Alan Pither, to ensure they are up-to-date and technically accurate. The course has been shaped and developed over a decade to draw on their vast retrofit expertise, and is designed to promote PAS 2035 best practices.
This course includes:
In addition to this essential learning and assessment programme, you will gain access to our ‘PAS into Practice’ video series, exploring the on-site work of Retrofit Coordinators in their daily practice; created and delivered by leading experts like Dr Peter Rickaby, Colin King, Bob Prewett, Nicholas Heath, Dr Zachary Gill and Alan Pither.
Our eLearning materials are supplemented by a twelve-hour learning “bootcamp” delivered in four sessions (three hours each).
Bootcamp sessions are delivered by our expert tutors, who are also practising Retrofit Coordinators. Available online via Zoom these bootcamps give you access to a dedicated tutor to help give essential context to the eLearning content of the course. This is also an excellent opportunity to get extra value from sharing best practices and professional experience with your peers.
Self-guided eLearning with a bespoke 12-hour expert-led Bootcamp delivered online via Zoom or in a classroom
Please be aware that applications are currently closed. Please feel free to contact us using the link below if you would like to find out about future availability.
T: 0330 055 7629
E: info@retrofitacademy.org
A: Barn 4, Dunston Business Village,
Stafford Road, Stafford, ST18 9AB
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This award is looking for the best large projects demonstrating energy savings, increased comfort and health outcomes.
This award recognises and rewards retrofit professionals who excel in retrofit coordination.
This award is looking for the individual assessor or company that has done the most to engage customers and drive the retrofit agenda.
This award is looking for the individual installer or company that has done the most to engage customers effectively and drive the retrofit agenda.
This award is looking for the best small projects demonstrating energy savings, increased comfort and health outcomes.
This award is looking for the best social landlord (housing association, local authority or ALMO) retrofit client of the year. This will be an organisation who has demonstrated their commitment to decarbonising their housing stock, improving residents’ health and life chances.
This award is looking for the newest individual to the sector that has made the greatest contribution to low carbon retrofit in the last 12 months (up to and including December 2021).
This award is looking for the individual that has done the most to promote the retrofit agenda to customers.
The judges will be looking for evidence of:
• Successful engagement with the general public leading to better-informed retrofit clients
• Successful marketing leading to increased uptake of retrofit
• Evidence of adopting PAS 2035 key principles and articulating these to potential customers
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To become a retrofit coordinator you need to have a qualification in a built environment subject that is at least Level 3 with a minimum of 12 credits (your credits should be detailed on your certificate). Level 3 qualifications are equivalent to an A Level certification. If you hold a university degree relevant to the built environment this would also meet the entry requirements for this course.
If you don’t hold a relevant Level 3 qualification or above you may be eligible to enroll in a pre-assessment with The Retrofit Academy to ensure you meet the academic standards required for the course. Failing this, you would need to attain the relevant qualifications.
Our fast-track learning option is ideal for quickly training your team, to get them ready to be able to work on retrofit projects within 4-6 months of accreditation. Using a bespoke mix of eLearning, bootcamps and seminars, this retrofit coordinator training can be designed to meet the needs of your business. As well as learning essential skills and knowledge, cohorts will benefit from networking with peers, and will gain a deeper understanding of energy efficiency and whole house retrofit.
This option is for self-organised learners but includes additional support from our expert tutors, and is backed up by an intensive two-day online bootcamp offering a comprehensive overview of the key learning objectives of the course.
Working in groups via Zoom, bootcamps are a great way for students to understand the fundamentals of Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management, and appreciate the importance of the coordinator role.
This option is designed for chartered professionals who are comfortable managing their own learning and wish to study at their own pace.
The course consists of 12 training modules assessed via a mix of multiple choice questions and written assignments; all accessed via our Online Learning Platform.
All teaching and assessment is completed online at the student’s convenience and you have 12 months in which to complete the course. Although no teacher-led lessons are involved, students will have support from an Online Mentor and Tech Support to ensure everything flows smoothly.
The new PAS 2035 standard works alongside the PAS 2030: 2019 standard, and introduces a set of criteria that must be met to ensure the consistent delivery of domestic retrofit in the UK.
It means that the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), Local Authority Delivery Scheme (LADs), and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) sectors must fully comply with its specifications. Schemes such as the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) will also comply.
PAS 2035 represents a strong commitment to improving the energy efficiency of domestic buildings in the UK. It was designed in response to the UK government’s Each Home Counts Review, which was a comprehensive review of home energy efficiency. One major outcome of the review was the call for an industry-wide Code of Practice, which became PAS 2035.
The retrofit assessor’s role is to gather information about the building that is the subject of retrofit work. Domestic retrofit assessments are very wide-ranging and include factors such as the building’s construction, structure, and architectural features. The assessment will also consider the building’s current condition, including any structural defects, and issues such as leaks, condensation and mould buildup. Current installations such as heating and hot water, lighting, and ventilation will be documented. Any protected status, conservation restraints, or planning permission requirements will be investigated before work can begin.
The retrofit assessor must also take into account information regarding the number of building occupants and special considerations including the presence of vulnerable people, or people with disabilities.
One of the key roles emerging from PAS 2035 is the role of the retrofit coordinator. Retrofit coordinators ensure that all elements of domestic retrofit are properly managed and coordinated, and that a cohesive retrofit plan is designed and implemented. For more information on the role of the retrofit coordinator and how to gain the necessary training and certification, see our page on Retrofit Coordinator Training.
In order to become PAS 2030 certified your business will need to demonstrate that you use a PAS-compliant Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure you have the correct processes in place to deliver consistent customer satisfaction and retrofit implementation.
Your installers will need to have relevant qualifications and competencies; each team will require a qualified retrofit professional, and one member will need to hold an NVQ . PAS 2030 certification requires you have up-to-date health and safety certification, and you will also need to comply with PAS 2035 when assessing and designing retrofit plans.
A technical assessment of one of your energy efficiency installations will need to be carried out, and any compliance issues be addressed before you receive certification. An approved certification body like The Retrofit Academy will need to carry out the PAS 2030 assessment and certification.
PAS 2030: 2019 (which replaced PAS 2030: 2017) concerns the commissioning, installation, and handover of domestic retrofit projects.
PAS 2030: 2019 has been redeveloped to work alongside PAS 2035. Both documents should be seen as working together to create a single cohesive approach to domestic retrofit. Taken together, PAS 2030 and PAS 2035 lay down the steps all domestic retrofit projects should follow to gain compliance, and ensure consumer satisfaction in accordance with the recommendations of the Each Home Counts Review.
PAS 2035 is a specification for what is called ‘whole-house’ or ‘whole building’ retrofit; this is an approach to the installation of energy efficiency measures (EEMs) which takes into account the requirement of the entire building; both from a technical standpoint, and considering factors like occupancy comfort.
PAS 2035 is concerned with assessing domestic dwellings for energy retrofit. This involves identifying areas where improvements can be made and specifying and designing the relevant improvement measures. It is also concerned with the monitoring of domestic retrofit projects.
PAS 2035 is to be used in conjunction with PAS 2030: 2019, which sets out the standards required for installing EEMs.
PAS’ stands for ‘publicly available specification’, and the number ‘2035’ refers to the government’s target date to raise as many homes as possible to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C. The average EPC for housing in the UK is currently Band D.