Launched in 2011 by the European Union, BUILD UP Skills is an initiative designed to strengthen the skills and qualifications of professionals in the construction and building renovation sector across Europe. The initiative has been supported by successive EU funding programmes: first under Intelligent Energy Europe, then Horizon 2020, and currently under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition framework. The initiative is managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) of the European Commission.
BUILD UP Skills supports the EU Pact for Skills and in particular the Pact for Skills in the construction sector, signed by social partners in 2022. Among others, this Pact sets out the ambition to promote upskilling and reskilling of 30% of the workforce each year across the ecosystem, meaning 3,8 million workers each year by 2030. The training provided can differ according to the Member State, as contexts are different.
The scope of BUILD UP Skills covers all actors along the building value-chain and targets all working age people of the building ecosystem across the European Union: professionals (from site operatives to designers and project managers), employers and companies in construction and renovation, public authorities, building owners, and tenants.
