Energy use in buildings accounts for approximately 40% of the European Union’s final energy consumption. Among all economic sectors, construction has the most energy intensive consumption (42.5% of final energy). It generates 23% of greenhouse effect gases. Through the “Energy Efficiency Directive” the EU is aiming for a 20% cut in Europe’s annual primary energy consumption by 2020. The Commission has proposed several measures to increase efficiency at all stages of the energy chain: generation, transformation, distribution and final consumption. The measures focus on building sectors, where the savings potential is greatest. The market open to smaller business represents 50 billion euros with a huge potential for local job creation which cannot be delocalized. In France, Portugal, Estonia, and Italy, these countries’ policies strive to address the issue for drastic improvement of energy efficiency of buildings. A wide range of stakeholders are involved in the building process from the property owner down to the workers, therefore a new awareness over the issue is to be gained by all.
As a consequence, the construction sector is now requiring new competencies that address this topic in the retrofitting of existing buildings and new construction. Construction jobs must now engage in the greening process. All the trades are strongly impacted and will be confronted with the required organisational and structural modifications, and therefore a new way of thinking with new professional behaviours, and need to develop a systemic “green” approach in building. This new challenge to be tacked by the construction trade will strongly impact training organisations and their ability to adapt and redefine their offer in keeping with new competencies required by the trade and identifying green competencies and those competencies yet to be greened. Vocational curricula needs being adapted and training organisations are in want of new tools to address the issue.
GEEE will strive to address this particular issue through the collaboration of training networks, construction trade representatives, and higher education by analyzing four countries’ policies( France, Portugal, Italy, Estonia ) and mapping the new green and greener competencies required. From this we will produce and test an innovative crosscutting training design for initial and ongoing education. We will disseminate our approach and develop stakeholders’ awareness on this issue through a unique event-driven approach.
