Abstract:

The construction sector is one of the most important sectors in terms of energy use, raw material consumption and solid waste production. This makes its transition to a sustainable model indispensable. All this in order to achieve the European Commission's sustainability objectives for 2030.

The change of the construction sector towards to a more sustainable model will need that all agents involved in the building work, from promoters to operators, get involved in this sustainable construction. This makes it essential to upskill blue and white collar workers in green skills, such as energy efficiency, sustainability and circular economy. Special attention should also be paid to raise awareness of the crucial influence that their work has in the building's energy performance.

In recent years, the need to train workers, especially those in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sector, has been identified. “Construye 2020+” project has among its objectives the qualification of blue and white collars in green skills.

“Construye 2020+” is a national project funded by the European Programme Horizon 2020, in its "EE-14 Construction Skills" call (Agreement number 785019), heir to the initiative promoted by the "Intelligent Energy Europe" programme and "Build Up Skills". This initiative was launched in 2010 with the aim of qualifying workers in the construction sector and enabling this sector to achieve the energy targets set by the European Commission.

At present, companies are having difficulties in finding staff who know the correct way of executing essential units of works for a correct energy performance of the building. These needs for more specialised staff were identified in the "Build Up Skills" initiative.

The project has firstly developed a general training programme to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable construction and the consequences of bad practices in the execution of its Works. Secondly, several training courses have been developed in more specific areas. These courses deal with topics such as the evolution of materials or new ways of executing and managing works that allow for greater energy savings in buildings, both in the construction phase and during their useful life until they are dismantled. All these training programmes are based on online training and incorporate methodologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean Construction.

This paper will present the results of the “Construye 2020+” project, as well as the forecast of needs detected in the labour market and the possibilities of training in these competences.

Keywords:

Energy efficiency, sustainability, construction, vocational training.