BUILD UP Skills

The initiative addresses all professionals active in the building value chain as well as companies employing them, but also public authorities as well as building owners and tenants.

The main focus areas include:

• skills intelligence for the green transition in the built environment; 

• skills development, supporting new or upgraded training and qualification schemes covering all aspects of building decarbonisation;

• skills uptake, developping measures increasing the demand for skills and skilled professionals.

Over the years, supported projects have allowed to test and validate a whole toolbox of approaches, notably:

• National skills strategies, including assessment of skills gaps and roadmaps of actions endorsed by key stakeholders;

• Qualification and training schemes in different thematic areas (deep renovation, nZEB, heat pumps, Building Information Modelling, circular construction etc…);

• Innovative tools and methods to train the workforce, for example training delivered directly at the renovation site, or through digital means;

• Pilot trainings of professionals and/or trainers, although the primary focus of BUILD UP Skills is on the engineering of new skills and piloting of innovative methods, rather than on the organisation of large-scale training;

• Mechanisms to boost the demand for skills, for example through awareness campaigns, the development of skills passports and registers of trained professionals, or exploring ways to include skills or qualification requirements in procurement procedures.

These tools and approaches are now available for replication and upscaling and national or regional level.

As of June 2024, 94 projects have been funded, representing an EU contribution of EUR 58 million since 2011.