Scholarships to cover new certificate for 300 intermediaries and 100 bank staff
Lloyds Banking Group has agreed a funding partnership with the Green Finance Institute to underwrite scholarships for mortgage professionals taking the institute’s newly created Certificate in Financing Greener Homes.
The scheme follows recent government statements on the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan, which is expected to include measures intended to help households pay for improvements that reduce energy bills and improve comfort.
Under the arrangement, training will be provided for 300 mortgage intermediaries and 100 Lloyds Banking Group employees working across Halifax and Birmingham Midshires. Those included span business development managers and specialist support teams.
The bank said the programme is intended to remove upfront costs for intermediary partners while developing internal capability to support homeowners considering energy efficiency upgrades.
For the Certificate in Financing Greener Homes, the Green Finance Institute will adapt its LIBF-accredited Certificate in Green Mortgages masterclass into an on-demand, self-paced digital course designed for larger cohorts of advisers and lender staff.
“The majority of all mortgages go through a mortgage intermediary,” said Andrew Dean (pictured right), head of housing and sustainability at Lloyds Banking Group. “They play a crucial role in the provision of green mortgages, and the finance of energy efficient home improvements.
“Training that builds on a recognised qualification can only be a good thing. By supporting the intermediary sector’s understanding of this area of growing interest for borrowers, we can help drive increased customer awareness, positive outcomes and increased uptake of green home finance products and services.”
“A wave of policy changes is on the horizon to help homeowners make energy efficient home improvements, and the finance sector will have a key role to play,” added Chloe Timperley, green mortgage campaign lead at the Green Finance Institute.
“The market has already grown rapidly, from only a handful of green mortgage offerings six years ago to more than 90 today, alongside a tripling of unsecured green loans in three years.
“The critical next step is increasing take up. That depends on advisers being equipped to have meaningful, everyday conversations with homeowners that help them navigate their options. This training partnership helps position the market to respond confidently to the evolving needs of households.”
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