BUILD UP Skills – rebooting the National Platforms and Roadmaps

• Upgraded National Platform involving key national stakeholders
• Quality of the updated National Status Quo Analysis, identifying current and future skills needs, gaps, barriers and opportunities
• Quality of the measures presented in the updated National Roadmap reflecting the new needs and realities of the national building sector by 2030
• Number of people directly engaged through the project activities
• Number of relevant national stakeholders endorsing the updated Roadmap
• Primary energy savings/Renewable energy production triggered by the project (in GWh/year)
• Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro)

Launched in 2011, the BUILD UP Skills initiative^[1] is supporting the upskilling of building professionals across Europe, to deliver building renovations offering high-energy performance as well as new Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEBs). This topic aims to facilitate the rebooting of the National Qualification Platforms, Status Quo Analyses and National Roadmaps developed under the first phase of BUILD UP Skills (2011-2012, ‘Pillar I’)^[2], to ensure alignment with the EU 2030 energy targets.

The first objective is to support the revitalisation of the National Platforms created in the first phase of the BUILD UP Skills initiative (2011-2012), gathering all key national stakeholders. Since the first platforms were established ten years ago, projects should aim at expanding their scope by involving new stakeholders.

As a second objective, the rebooted National Platforms should update the Status Quo Analyses and National Roadmaps to reflect the new realities of the building sector. This should be done by addressing the necessary skills development activities related to e.g. digital technologies, smart buildings including e-mobility, resource efficiency, circularity, integration of renewable energy technologies, heating and cooling, industrialised deep renovation, Life Cycle Carbon Assessments, etc., while taking into account the wider EU recovery context.

With a view to ensure sufficient traction at national level, the topic is expected to be addressed through applications covering a single country. One action per country is expected (exceptions possible).

While prior involvement in BUILD UP Skills funded projects is not a requirement, applicants should demonstrate a good knowledge of the initiative as well as the ability to mobilise relevant stakeholders and target groups.

Proposals submitted under this topic should be supportive of the work done within the European Construction Blueprint^[3], which focuses on vocational education and training primarily for ’blue-collar’ professionals (targeting a level up to 5 in the European Qualification Framework). In case an application under this topic focuses on one of the countries covered by the Blueprint initiative^[4], applicants should demonstrate complementarity and added-value of the proposed activities with those being developed under the Blueprint.

The focus of this topic is on all relevant skills needed to enable the Clean Energy Transition, in particular the EU Renovation Wave, the mainstreaming of NZEBs, and the inclusion of resource efficiency considerations. The initial BUILD UP Skills Status Quo Analysis and Roadmaps focussed on on-site workers and craftspeople (‘blue-collar’ professionals). These documents need to be updated as regards ‘blue-collar’ professionals and upgraded with new content mapping the skills needs for ‘white-collar’ professions (e.g. architects, designers, engineers, building managers, product manufacturers, etc.), thus reflecting the reality and needs of the entire building value chain.

Proposals should be comprehensive in terms of the professions addressed, covering level 1-8 in the European Qualification Framework.

The proposed activities should align with the Pact for Skills as part of the European Skills Agenda.

Proposals should also address the need for reskilling workers and professionals previously or currently active in fossil fuel related sectors and regions.

Proposals are expected to consider measures to make the renovation and construction sectors more attractive for women.

The updated National Status Quo Analysis must be delivered within the first 9 months of activity of the rebooted National Platform. Each Status Quo Analysis should compile all the necessary information on the current situation of the national building sector regarding continuing education and training, energy performance and contribution to the 2030 targets as well as existing barriers and gaps, thus providing a basis for an informed discussion among the stakeholders.

The updated National Roadmap should explain how to overcome barriers and identified skills gaps in the various professions in such a way that the 2030 targets in the building sector can be met. Each National Roadmap should notably provide: a set of priority measures related to the various professions to meet the defined targets; an action plan for the identified measures until 2030; an identification of actors and resources needed to drive the implementation; measures to monitor the progress of the proposed activities.

To ensure long-term sustainability, projects should seek formal endorsement of the updated Roadmap by relevant national stakeholders, including public authorities, and promote these results widely.

Projects are expected to carry out at least the following activities, as far as they are not already addressed through the European Construction Blueprint for the country covered in the application:

• Relaunching of the National Platform, through dedicated communication channels and regular meetings
• Market research and data collection (Status Quo Analysis)
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of the first National Roadmap implementation
• Targeted interviews with relevant national stakeholders and target groups
• Participatory workshops with relevant national stakeholders and target groups
• Updating of the National Roadmap, including measures to 2030 and policy recommendations; endorsement by relevant national stakeholders
• Promotion and communication of the results
• Active participation in European exchange activities

Applications addressing a country represented in the European Construction Blueprint should also focus on further expanding the activities developed in this frame and supporting their long-term implementation, while also covering the areas, skills and professions not being tackled by the Blueprint.

The expected project duration is 18 months, to ensure that results are available sufficiently early to support the next phases of BUILD UP Skills.

Applications may be submitted by a single applicant.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 400,000 would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

[1] https://www.buildup.eu/en/skills

[2] https://www.buildup.eu/en/skills/bus-projects

[3] https://constructionblueprint.eu/

[4] Spain, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, Poland.