In INSTRUCT project, one of the main objectives is establishing a taxonomy of current training offers in the field of energy efficiency within the European Union.
An initial review of training offers, and their associated frameworks, enables the formulation of a
method to align and map the related roles and skills. The taxonomy is then formulated, covering the whole landscape of knowledge and information that needs to be captured for further activities within the INSTRUCT project. The data collection process will be initiated by collecting training data from the 7 consortium partner countries, using an Excel sheet to capture the required data. In a second phase, the scope of the collection process will be widened to all countries of the European Union by leveraging the INSTRUCT stakeholder network.
The taxonomy provided in the project aims to define the common ground for INSTRUCT partners
to address the demonstration pilots, with a focus on training and skills requirements.
Besides, the meta-framework sets a methodology aiming at embracing a large set of training initiatives,
and associated qualification frameworks, with a focus on digital skills and BIM. Through a comprehensive integration of learning outcomes from other initiatives, including H2020
sister projects, the long-term vision is to integrate those various initiatives and reduce the complexity, while offering training providers with established sets of learning outcomes that would eventually facilitate the recognition of skills across the EU.
As part of INSTRUCT next tasks, training and qualification frameworks will be analysed to further improve the proposed method. The collection process itself will be split into two phases. The first phase will be limited in scope to the project partner countries (FR, LU, IT, UK, BG, PL, FI) and will use the Excel sheet, aiming at setting up a representative sample of available trainings. This sample will supply insight for several questions related to the setup of a new catalogue, namely, which targets are being addressed by available training offers, to which extent are they linked to already existing qualification schemes, and last but least, which are those schemes.
This data, combined with key findings of earlier tasks, will influence the design and structure of the Training Repository to be set up as a key instrument in INSTRUCT. The training repository will be a database hosted in the cloud. The data collected in phase one will be used for populating the
repository.
Requirements for new instruments for skills recognition in the construction industry
Another aim of the INSTRUCT project is also to elicit the requirements for new, and existing, tools facilitating the mutual recognition of energy skills and qualifications in the construction sector. This translates into the following objectives:
- identify best practice initiatives for energy skills recognition across Europe,
- inform the development of new tools adapted to a wide range of country-specific organisational
and cultural work practices across Europe.
An overarching requirement is identified in the need for a widely accessible and trusted digital platform that can allow training organisations to register their training offers and associated learning outcomes; accreditation organisations to assess these and publish their accreditation outcomes; white and blue workers to register their skills and trainings, and employers to search and recruit the skilled workers most suited to their job across Europe.
It is interesting to note that the job market has been deregulated as a result of the ongoing pandemic and the restriction of movements of staff. The recruitment of skilled workers, therefore, transcends existing geographical boundaries while promoting a competitive landscape for skilled workers adapted to a wide range of country-specific organisational and cultural work practices across Europe.
Blockchain is identified as a contender solution to deliver such a digital platform, which will be augmented with a wide range of services allowing the delivery of:
- passports/registers for workers at regional/national level and support for their take up at EU level,
- mobile applications facilitating the comparison of workers’ skills and qualifications between countries,
- new legislative frameworks or public procurement practices,
- initiatives for home and building owners, and,
- new partnerships with producers and retailers, Taxonomy of current training offers for energy efficiency in the EU.
- An official report with detailed information about the elaborated tools regarding the above topics will be available soon in our Library.
