Solar & Storage UK’s Birmingham edition is around the corner, and with it so are the popular Installer Training Hub and Recruitment Zone.
Sturge Mazzocchi, Solar Energy UK, explains why these are must-visit areas at the show that visitors shouldn’t miss!
Xtra: What is the Installer Training Hub?
Sturge: The Installer Training Hub at Solar & Storage Live is a feature where you can get hands-on training on how to install a range of kit from some of the leading manufacturers in the industry – whether you’re new to the solar industry or just want to stay up to date with new technologies as an experienced installer.
Sessions for new and experienced installers respectively will be clearly highlighted on the programme. There’s something for everyone, essentially, and I think that’s the most important thing.
Xtra: Why is it an unmissable feature at the show?
Sturge: It’s unmissable because there’s only one place where you can get that training experience. People can go to several different events in the industry and there are very few that provide training.
The training sessions here are easily digestible, as they range from 20, 30, and 40 minutes, and provide insight into new skills and access to new technologies.
Visitors can practice practical skills with the purpose-built rigs. On these, they can learn how to install PV modules and their mounts based on type whether it’s an on or in-roof technology.
We have battery and inverter walls also for companies to showcase their new products, For example, SolarEdge has been in the Installer Training Hub for years demonstrating their latest products fully wired up. Therefore, visitors will be able to hear about new technologies first-hand from the experts themselves.
There’s no other show where visitors can watch the installation process from beginning to end.
Excitingly, at this year’s Solar & Storage Live in Birmingham, we’ll be bringing in utility-scale ground mounts, training, and installation sessions for the first time.
Xtra: Likewise, why is the Recruitment Zone a cornerstone of Solar & Storage Live?
Sturge: The Recruitment Zone was introduced at the 2023 show. It’s a feature where we gather together businesses that have lots of vacancies to meet with vetted candidates who would be suitable for those roles.
Solar Energy UK sources the candidates through our various job candidate partner organisations. These range from colleges and universities, the Department for Work and Pensions, job centres, and also charities for ex-forces and ex-service personnel – who have excellent transferable skills.
The candidates attend short five-minute meetings to secure an interview with the businesses’ hiring managers after the show.
Xtra: Why was setting up the Recruitment Zone important to Solar Energy UK?
Sturge: Last year we launched the Solar Taskforce alongside the government, to raise our solar capacity from 20GW to 70GW by 2035 and meet our legally binding net-zero commitments.
It’s a steep climb with many obstacles such as the grid, but a huge necessity is growing the workforce. We don’t have enough qualified installers, engineers, and project managers. The list goes on, but these are the priorities.
We also need to move pools of candidates into the solar storage industry and grow that part of the solar sector.
To grow the workforce quickly we need to be active in promoting job vacancies and encouraging candidates. Part of our role is to support growing the workforce through qualifications and upskilling. For example, an experienced electrician might be coming to solar from another industry.
In that case, they have the transferable skills they just need to learn the solar part – that’s where the Zone comes in.
Xtra: Why is Solar & Storage Live a crucial trade show for the industry?
Sturge: I attended my first Solar & Storage Live back in 2021, having just joined the solar industry. At that time, there was a buzz just coming out of the pandemic and many industries were starting to recover. It was also a tough time, but the show was a really good environment to be in regardless.
Over time the show has become a place of community. Thousands of experts in the solar industry of 10-20 years come to the show, which now takes place twice a year in the UK: in Birmingham and in London, over three days.
Trade shows stimulate the industry and stimulate the market, and this is the main show that combines solar and battery storage. Without them you don’t get manufacturers speaking to installers, speaking to distributors, so this is one of the most important events – especially for the storage sector.
It’s stimulating the industry that Solar & Storage Live does best.
Visit the Installer Training Hub and Recruitment Zone yourself at Solar & Storage Live in Birmingham this September. Register for free here.
