According to the plan of the traffic light coalition, six million heat pumps are to be installed in Germany by 2030.
But the question of who should install the systems remains open.
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Berlin – Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck is pushing ahead with the heat transition – with an ambitious goal: starting next year, 500,000 new heat pumps are to be installed every year.
Last year there were almost 240,000 nationwide.
Habeck's ministry is nevertheless optimistic: "It can be assumed that the necessary capacities in the heating construction trade will be available from 2024," it says on request.
Habeck wants to speed up the training and further education.
"It happens under high pressure," he said recently at Markus Lanz.
The further training of heating engineers, the so-called plant mechanics for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology (SHK), is actually picking up speed.
Manufacturers of heat pumps offer training courses for their own devices.
Educational institutions and guilds are expanding their offerings – mostly two- to three-day training courses.
This is reported by Katja Weinhold, spokeswoman for the Federal Heat Pump Association.
But the training courses are not yet running smoothly: the association developed a concept for training partners five years ago.
But only 3,500 specialists have been trained in this framework so far, and less than half have passed an examination.
Heat pumps: the federal government supports training
In order to speed things up, the federal government has been funding training courses since the beginning of April and, at 250 euros per day and participant, covers 90 percent of the costs.
By the end of 2025, the BMWK wants to promote the qualification of at least 43,750 craftsmen.
25 million euros are planned in the business plan, 15 million euros are to flow this year alone.
However, the funding program has weaknesses.
Applicants receive a maximum of 5,000 euros.
That corresponds to just the training of around 20 fitters, criticizes Germany's largest heating installer Thermondo.
Small businesses have an advantage.
Thermondo itself, for example, employs 500 craftsmen. In addition, only 20 training providers have been approved so far.
Rolf Klockow from the Industrial Association for Technical Building Equipment considers the necessary certification process to be too complex.
His association offers training itself.
"But we're doing without the certification, which would mean tying up an employee all day," says Klockow.
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There are also deficits in the training of new plant mechanics for SHK.
Less because the framework curriculum only mentions heat pumps in a single module, says Sven Mohr, Chairman of the Federal Association of Teachers for Vocational Training.
"We can also teach heat pumps where they are not explicitly mentioned." The problem is that vocational schools are often not yet equipped with heat pumps.
"The teachers can only teach the theory," says Mohr.
“The trainees cannot practically practice repairing or troubleshooting.”
Many vocational schools lack heat pumps
A heat pump, including installation and diagnostic equipment, costs around 50,000 euros.
Not every school authority can afford that, especially in poorer communities.
Mohr therefore advocates a special program for renewable energies, similar to the digital pact.
After all: Apprentices also use heat pump training courses.
The Federal Association of Heat Pumps, together with craft businesses and vocational school teachers, has designed an online training course aimed at trainees and younger journeymen.
30,000 users have already viewed at least parts of it.
Overall, according to estimates by the Central Association for Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning, there will be a shortage of around 60,000 system mechanics for HVAC by 2030.
The baby boomer generation is retiring, and many bathrooms have to be renovated to make them suitable for seniors.
Lots of work for the plant mechanics.
Despite Corona, the number of new training qualifications increased slightly from 2019 to 2021 (from 12,900 to 13,600), but this is probably not enough.
The training lasts a total of three and a half years and is considered to be particularly complex.
In 2003, the two job descriptions 'sanitary fitter' and 'heating engineer' merged.
Today, the system mechanics take care of drinking water, heating, air conditioning, renewable energies - and digital technologies are becoming increasingly important in all areas.
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Robert Habeck visits the Copenhagen district heating network at the end of March and takes a look at a heat pump station under construction there.
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
Changing apprenticeships takes time – even when it comes to heat pumps
The Federal Industry Association for Technical Building Equipment suggests splitting up the training.
After two years, there could be a first final exam to become a plant fitter.
Only those who want to can still be trained as a plant mechanic while working.
IG Metall rejects such a form of "narrow-gauge training".
And: It takes time to change the training regulations and the framework curriculum.
The social partners would have to contact the Federal Ministry of Economics with instructions, which would be followed by an intensive examination.
“The development of the new training content often only takes six to twelve months.
However, this is often preceded by a coordination phase lasting several years,” says Torben Padur from the Federal Institute for Vocational Training (BIBB).
Thermondo is a quicker way.
In a report for the federal agency for breakthrough innovations SPRIND, Germany's largest heating installer advocates using assembly helpers as career changers when installing heat pumps.
Thermondo is already occasionally relying on helpers.
For example, you could build a foundation or lay cables.
According to the report, fully trained specialists are only needed for “a quarter of the working time”.
With certain previous knowledge and skills, "focused training" and "learning-on-the-job" were enough within a few weeks.
Andreas Koch-Martin, Managing Director of the Guild SHK Berlin, can get something out of Thermondo's approach: Many people wanted to work but didn't want to complete full training - refugees or the long-term unemployed, for example.
Highly qualified workers could relieve them and speed up the installation of heat pumps.
On the other hand, Koch-Martin is critical of the approach taken by the solar energy company Enpal, which has set up a private academy in the form of a "boot camp" for the training of career changers.
"The technology is so complex that a quick soling is not enough," says Koch-Martin.
When the hype surrounding heat pumps in new builds is over, too one-sidedly trained staff could fall by the wayside.
Therefore, the Berlin guild is currently developing its own modules for partial qualifications with companies, research institutes and the central association SHK.
"We want to further develop the education chain with it," says Koch-Martin.
The BMWK has already signaled interest in the project.
By Anna Parisius
List of rubrics: © Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
