Our built environment accounts for 37% of Ireland’s national emissions, the same as agriculture. Halving our emissions by 2030 is extremely challenging and will require significant investments in skills. The construction industry is facing labour and skills shortages, that need to be overcome to successfully decarbonise our built environment.
The Irish Green Building Council (IGBC), the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), Laois-Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) and the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) are now working together to make sure we have the right skills to reach Ireland’s climate goals.
As part of the BUSI2030 initiative, they are developing a roadmap of key skills needed by building professionals and construction workers to decarbonise our built environment. The roadmap, which will be developed through extensive stakeholder engagement, will refine and refresh the “BUILD UP Skills – Ireland National Roadmap for Energy Training in Construction” published in 2014.
Considering emerging trends and new policy development, the new version of the roadmap will cover not only energy efficiency but also decarbonisation of heating and cooling, digitisation, the circular economy and embodied carbon emissions.