BUS-NL started on October 1, 2022; with financial support from the European Union. In this project they make an analysis of the status quo in the first 8 months. This is to gain insight into how they think about the skills they need for the energy transition; developed over the past decade. What has happened in recent years, what things are going well and where can we improve or do we need to accelerate? They also look ahead to the required expertise between 2022 and 2032, and to what opportunities and challenges there are. Based on the result of 'the status quo analysis', they will work with the BUS-NL network in the second half of 2023 on a roadmap that outlines how they can accelerate the development of the necessary expertise in the Netherlands.

Vision

In a changing world, BUS-NL brings innovation in the necessary skills for everyone who works to make the built environment more sustainable. They focus on skills that are required for the four transition components: 'digitalisation', 'materialisation', 'climate adaptation' and 'energy'. Active cooperation and connection between different organizations on this task is central to this.

Mission

The mission of BUS-NL is twofold:

1. They are reviving the 'National BUILD UP Skills Platform'. This is the network of those involved – from professionals to policymakers – in making the built environment more sustainable. They bring them together and organize meetings to gain insight into the wishes and needs of stakeholders from the entire construction sector.

2. They are creating a BUILD UP Skills Roadmap for 2023-2030 to accelerate the transition. They do this by building on the first Roadmap; bringing stakeholders together in workshops; and to map the skills of all relevant professional groups.

What's new?

• They broaden the network
• They bring together professionals and policy makers from the entire value chain and ensure knowledge sharing at different levels.
• Co-creative learning
• They gather knowledge about emerging upskilling needs and upskilling needs across the entire value chain by coming together in learning networks.
• Systemic approach to skills mapping
• Through research, they build on previous relevant projects and programs to identify the different types of skills needed for a responsible energy transition in the built environment.

The BUS ReGroup project aims at the revival of the national vocational skills platform established in the first phase of the "BUILD UP Skills" action (BUS-GR project) by integration of all interested parties. 

By revitalising the national platform, the CS4L project will aim to develop an updated progress report and a National Roadmap.

Status Quo Analysis

The ConstructSkills4LIFE project aims to assess the changes in the construction industry over the last ten years and to formulate new needs (Status Quo Analysis). Based on these analyses, the project will reinterpret the challenges in vocational training, adult education and university education in the construction industry.

National Roadmap

The project aims at updating the previous National Roadmap, which aims at formulating actions and policy recommendations up to 2030, with the involvement of the most relevant stakeholders in the sector.

In 2011, the European Commission launched the BUILD UP Skills initiative, with the aim of increasing the number of trained and qualified construction professionals across Europe to carry out energy efficient building renovations and new near-zero energy buildings.  

Fundación Laboral de la Construcción, Fundae, CSIC and INCUAL have since formed strong Partnerships together with other entities to lead this initiative in Spain. 

Construye 2030, is a BUILD UP Skills project framed this time in the LIFE programme and aims to revise the research and the proposals made in 2012, as well as the boost of the first National Qualification Platform. This update will be carried out through: 

• Collaborative work with professionals from different areas of the construction sector. 
• Analysis of sectoral statistics. 
• Panel of experts and interviews with key professionals. 
• Endorsement seminars. 

Analysis of the renovation process that has been carried out in recent years in Croatia indicates the need to step up and to increase the level of energy renovation of the total building stock, given that in the period from 2014 to 2020 only 0.7 % of the total building stock was renovated on an annual basis. 

In Croatia, energy inefficient buildings are responsible for 40 % of energy consumption and 36 % of CO2 emissions, and as much as 30 % of buildings belong to the category of buildings with the worst energy performance. Increased intensity of energy renovation of existing buildings and deployment of new nZEB buildings would greatly reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the building sector, thus positively contributing to the energy and climate goals of Croatia and the EU by 2030. 

To achieve these ambitious goals, Croatia needs a workforce educated in terms of new technologies, innovative renovation/construction methods, building standards (nZEB), application of new materials in construction, application of digitalization in the construction process and other factors influencing the fulfilment and achievement of the decarbonization goals in the building sector. 

Bearing this in mind, the CRO skills RELOAD project intends to re-establish the "National Qualification Platform" and improve the "National Roadmap" in order to achieve national energy and climate goals. 

The project will act on all segments of the renovation process ecosystem, from decision makers, end users, manufacturers of materials and equipment, contractors, designers, energy service providers to future nZEB specialists - students, with intention to reach the common goal - adopt nZEB standard and sustainable construction as the key levers for achieving decarbonization goals with a special emphasis on the importance of education and lifelong learning. Project will build on and upscale the results of the previous BuildUP skills initiatives and projects supporting new skills development.

The goal of the DoubleDecker project is, as part of the Build Up Skills (BUS) initiative, to create a strategic basis for the transformation of the construction industry in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The project will take place in two basic phases: first, a Status-quo analysis will be prepared, and in the second phase, National Development Plans (Roadmaps) will be created. The preparation of the mentioned strategic documents will be completed in March 2024. The project coordinator is SEVEn, The Energy Efficiency Center, z.ú.

In 2022 September. the fifth consecutive LIFE21-CET-BUILDSKILLS-REBOOT-SKILLS-LT project (hereinafter BuildUpSkillsLT2030 ) partially funded by the European Commission within the scope of various programs has started. The project is implemented by the Lithuanian Builders' Association (LSA) with partners VilniusTech, KTU, RIVC and the Construction Sector Development Agency (SSVA) and Skaitmeninė statyba.

Since 2011 launched  the BUILD UP Skills  initiative supports the upskilling of construction professionals across Europe in order to implement sustainable building renovations, ensuring efficient energy consumption, as well as the construction of nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs).

One of the goals of this project is to update the platform of competence development organizations of construction sector stakeholders in Lithuania (employers' and workers' organizations, education and training centers, government institutions), supporting the upgrading of the qualifications of construction specialists.

The second goal of the project is to update the analysis of the current situation in the market ( Status Quo ) and the national action plan ( RoadMAP ) prepared in the first  phase of the BUILD UP Skills  project in 2011-2012 (EU ENERGOTRAIN project) in order to reflect the new reality of the required competences in the construction sector, related to energy and carbon dioxide reduction goals and challenges until 2030.

The project partners will work together to create an updated action plan ( RoadMAP ), seek its recognition and implementation in the market by 2030.

It is expected that the platform will work together in the future to ensure continuity of implementation and joint monitoring of the action plan against the proposed result indicators. The project is intended to assess the needs for the development of necessary skills and certification of competences. The need for new competences will be assessed in the following aspects: development of digital technologies, smart buildings, efficient use of resources, circular economy principles, efficient use of renewable energy, heating and cooling and other areas related to Energy efficiency and sustainability.

So far, the necessary qualification of skilled workers has been in the foreground. In the ReBUSk project (Reboot BUILD UP Skills Austria) there are no longer any restrictions. The focus of ReBUSk is on further developing the national roadmap up to 2020 - which was developed as part of the first phase of the initiative - and adapting it to both the European and national targets for 2030. The aim is to ensure that all the necessary skills for climate-neutral construction will be available by 2030.

The project targets the implementation of the national roadmap for the qualification of craftsmen until 2020, through the development of training schemes and by promoting a mind-change among companies of the building sector.

Meeting of Energy Professional Skills.