The Government must invest in training to put in place the skilled workforce that is needed to deliver the Green Deal and unlock new commercial opportunities for SMEs, says CITB-ConstructionSkills.

The Industry Training Board and Sector Skills Council made the call as it prepared to submit plans to the Government on how to tackle the current shortfall of Green Deal training providers.

As well as identifying areas where sustainable skills training availability currently falls short, the proposals set out how to establish a network of training providers - fully equipped to prepare the construction industry for the Green Deal.

The skills body has suggested that funds from the £200m pot, allocated by the Treasury to early adopters of the Green Deal, could be used to stimulate the training market and the supply chain in time to get installers ready for the October launch of the scheme.

Chief Executive, Mark Farrar said: "The Green Deal promises to unlock £15bn of private capital investment and up to a quarter of a million jobs, according to government estimates. We are working on behalf of the construction industry to ensure it can make the most of the opportunities under the scheme.

"We have been listening to training providers who have explained they cannot begin to develop green skills training until there is a demand. Our plan aims to overcome this by identifying where there is a need for installers, and ensuring funds are invested to put in place the training that will meet the demand. We will be submitting these plans to the Department of Climate and Energy Change (DECC) in due course."