DECC energy efficiency minister Greg Barker has visited the Mark Group's training academy in Leicester, meeting the 1,000th trainee to graduate from the academy since it opened in 2008.

Mr Barker said: "It is great to meet the faces of the future who, in time, will be making homes in Leicester and across the country warmer, cheaper to run and better for the planet."

The academy houses mock up homes for trainees to gain the best on-the-job experience before they formally qualify as insulation installers.