EU Exchange Meetings

The 17th edition of the BUILD UP Skills exchange meeting took place in Brussels, gathering more than 70 participants representing 31 projects funded through the LIFE Clean Energy Transition (CET) sub-programme. These meetings are designed to offer a framework for knowledge sharing and collaboration among project teams, while ensuring alignment with the wider policy framework.

This edition put the spotlight on the newly established BUILD UP Skills Community of Practice, which aims to foster a thriving EU-wide community of practitioners dedicated to promoting sustainable energy skills amongst all professionals involved in the built environment.

Watch the highlights video to discover some of the key discussions, insights and collaborative initiatives that emerged during the meeting.

The 16th BUILD UP Skills European exchange meeting attracted a dynamic group of 67 participants representing 27 EU-funded projects. These projects are united by a shared goal: enhancing the skills of professionals in the building value chain.

Since the BUILD UP Skills initiative began in 2011, this annual gathering has fostered substantial collaboration and innovation. This 16th edition allowed to explore specific thematic issues of common interest to project teams, namely: the implementation of the national skills roadmaps that were updated in 2024-2025 in 15 Member States thanks to LIFE CET funding, the challenges and best practices faced by projects working on skills development, as well as possible avenues to address the shortage of skilled installers and professionals in the heat pump sector. 

The 15th edition of the BUILD UP Skills European exchange meeting brought together a vibrant community of 75 participants from 22 EU-funded projects. These projects share a common mission — to elevate the expertise of building professionals. The gathering has been a tradition since the inception of the BUILD UP Skills initiative in 2011, and has sparked significant collaboration and innovation over the years. This 15th exchange meeting served as a melting pot for insights, discussions, and breakthroughs, addressing shared challenges and celebrating success stories. Moreover, it sought to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the realm of energy-efficient buildings across Europe, within the context of the European Year of Skills 2023.

The 14th edition of the BUILD UP Skills European exchange meeting brought together participants of EU-funded projects in an online format on 28th - 29th November. These European exchange meetings have been held since the early days of the BUILD UP Skills initiative, which started in 2011. They aim to create a forum for exchange on common challenges and best practices in an effort to advance the skills agenda in the field of energy efficient buildings. 

The 13th edition of the BUILD UP Skills European exchange meeting brought together participants of EU-funded projects in an online format on 30th November. These European exchange meetings have been held since the early days of the BUILD UP Skills initiative, which started in 2011. They aim to create a forum for exchange on common challenges and best practices in an effort to advance the skills agenda in the field of energy efficient buildings.

Leveraging the skills of building professionals to deliver on the European Green Deal – 9/12/2020

This event organised with the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) aimed to provide an opportunity for an exchange of views between stakeholders and EU policymakers on the role of skilled building professionals in delivering the European Green Deal, in particular the so-called ‘renovation wave’ of public and private buildings.

A policy panel took stock of the progress achieved and efforts needed towards the 2030 targets. Parallel sessions discussed the role of skilled professionals in constructing and managing highly efficient and more digitalised buildings and delivering high-quality renovations. Panel discussions investigated the way forward, in particular how the contribution of skilled building professionals can be made more visible and valued by the market.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was organised fully online as a web-streaming.

You can watch the video of the event in our YouTube channel!

12th BUILD UP Skills European exchange meeting – 10/12/2020 

The 12th edition of the BUILD UP Skills European exchange meeting gathered together participants from EU-funded projects addressing the upskilling of building professionals. These European exchange meetings have been held since the early days of the BUILD UP Skills initiative, which began in 2011. They aim to create a forum for exchange on common challenges and good practices in an effort to advance the skills agenda in the field of energy-efficient buildings.

This workshop explored the nexus between the digital transition and the energy transition of the EU building stock, with a focus on the needed skills for professionals of the buildings value chain. It took place during the CONSTRUMAT’19 international trade fair in Barcelona, Spain, and was organised as part of the European Commission’s BUILD UP Skills initiative supporting the upskilling of building professionals to meet the European energy and climate targets.

The workshop consisted of one plenary presentation, two breakout sessions with 2 specific sessions each, one panel discussion and one closing session. A total of 75 participants attended.

This event was held with participation from European Commission specialists, national authorities, building industry representatives, education & training experts and EU-funded projects.

Some of the topics discussed included:

• Current trends in digital innovation in the buildings sector
• The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
• What digitalisation means for building professionals
• Digital skills training for building professionals
• Success stories in upskilling the buildings’ industry

One of the event’s main objectives was to gather stakeholders’ feedback on the possible funding priorities under the BUILD UP Skills initiative after 2020.

You can watch the video of the event in our YouTube channel!

The 10th BUILD UP Skills EU exchange meeting took place on the 30th and 31st of May at the Bilderberg Hotel in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. As usual, this meeting was open for BUILD UP Skills project coordinators and partners involved in the BUILD UP Skills Pillar I, completed and ongoing BUILD UP Skills Pillar II, and ongoing Horizon 2020 Construction Skills projects. Similar to the past two EU Exchange Meetings, the two-day event included a site visit to a state-of-the-art construction skills and energy efficiency center / project and was followed by a dinner for everyone who wanted to join. For it was the last meeting in this series, emphasis was placed on the four Technical Working Groups delivering tangible outputs.

The 9th BUILD UP Skills EU Exchange Meeting was held on 6-7 December 2016 in Athens, Greece. This meeting was open for BUILD UP Skills project coordinators and partners involved in the BUILD UP Skills Pillar I, completed and ongoing BUILD UP Skills Pillar II, and ongoing Horizon2020 construction skills projects. Besides the usual plenary and parallel sessions, this EU exchange included a site visit to the premises of CRES (the Center for Renewable Energy sources and Savings) where the group was guided through the bioclimatic office-laboratory building. Links to the presentations and breakout sessions are available below.