Competence isn’t static: Why the retrofit sector needs a new operating model

Stephen Tracey is Chair of the National Home Decarbonisation Group’s (NHDG) Green Skills Working Group and Divisional Manager for Net Zero Carbon Retrofit at WPS.

There is a tendency in our sector to treat competence as something that can be achieved, recorded, and then relied upon.

In reality, competence is not a fixed state. It is dynamic, contextual, and constantly shifting. And unless organisations start treating it that way, they will continue to carry unseen risk through their delivery.

Certification is only the starting point

It’s a misconception that certification equals competence.

Certification is an important benchmark that shows that someone has met a defined standard at a point in time, but real competence is forged through a verification loop: practising skills and behaviours, gaining experience on real projects, working under supervision or within an accredited environment, and being subject to repeated auditing. Going through that cycle multiple times is what develops true capability.

Organisations that rely solely on qualifications are, in effect, managing on assumptions rather than evidence.

Competence is a moving feast

Even when you establish a baseline, it does not stay still.

Workforces and project teams are volatile: people join and leave, roles shift, projects start and end. In addition, legislation, standards and technologies evolve. 

As a result, competence is constantly either being diluted or strengthened.

This is why static snapshots, whether that is a qualification record or even a one-off assessment, are not enough and can quickly become outdated.

Competence is a moving feast that requires ongoing visibility.

A useful way to think about this is as a needle on a gauge. There is a “safe zone” where delivery risk is controlled. The job of an organisation is not just to place people within that zone, but to continuously monitor whether the needle is trending up or down. If you can see that movement, you can act early. If you cannot, you are operating blind.

From individual competence to project competence

Another shift that needs to happen is the level at which we measure competence.

In complex retrofit delivery, competence is not just about individuals: it’s about whether the collective capability of a team is sufficient to deliver a specific project safely and effectively. That means balancing skills and strengths across roles, trades, and experience levels.

At WPS, we measure “project competency” as a whole team. 

And because people move between projects, monitoring and maintaining that project competence is an ongoing exercise. 

Competence must be task-specific

A further challenge is that competence is often treated as transferable when, in reality, it is highly specific.

For example, someone who has developed knowledge and skills in delivering solar PV and air source heat pumps will be highly capable in those measures. But that does not make them a “competent person” for external wall insulation. The risks, methods, and requirements are different.

We need to formally recognise and evidence the specific tasks that an individual is competent in, for example with a “competency passport”. Just as importantly, that record needs to evolve as people gain new knowledge and skills.

Visibility is what enables control

All of this points to a fundamental requirement: organisations need real visibility of competence across their workforce.

Not just who holds which qualification, but:

• What knowledge and skills they have
• What tasks they are competent in
• How recently that competence has been demonstrated
• How teams are configured against project risk

Without that visibility, it is very difficult to manage delivery with confidence.

With it, organisations can make informed decisions such as strengthening teams, targeting training, and managing risk proactively rather than reactively.

Investing in competence is investing in resilience

It would be easy to frame competence assurance as a compliance requirement. But this is about delivery quality, risk management, and ultimately business viability. 

We are already seeing, through changes such as the transition from ECO4, how quickly expectations can shift, creating both volatility and new opportunities. With the significant ambition of the Warm Homes Plan requiring growth in a competent supply chain, WPS and other NHDG members are providing practical support for some of the companies affected by the closure of ECO to ensure they can transition to the capital schemes. Organisations that invest in understanding and developing their workforce will be far better placed to adapt to the Warm Homes capital schemes. 

By developing your own workforce and maintaining oversight of their competence, you create stability in an otherwise volatile environment. You also create a foundation for growth.

Organisations that make that shift will not only reduce risk; they will be better equipped to deliver at scale, with confidence and consistency.

The question is no longer whether competence assurance matters. It is whether you have the systems, visibility, and mindset in place to make it real.

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If you missed the first part of our series, which set out the case for competence assurance, you can read it here.