Aims and Background of the Project
Aims
The project aims at elaborating innovative teaching material to target people and organizations interested in fostering a new professional career: The Energy Efficiency Expert. The profession of the energy efficiency expert in the construction sector is not taught in schools and institutional learning places as career opportunities.
The energy efficiency expert is usually considered a professional which needs to be learned on the field, exposing the potential individual to failure. Moreover, it is a quite new profession that is not implemented in SMEs which have not the capacity to innovate themselves in a sustainable field. The energy efficiency expert can become a new professional career only by developing crucial skills and key competencies among professionals, young individuals that aspire to get skills and possessing at the same time an entrepreneurial mind-set, critical thinking and sustainability concerns.
MEs and entrepreneurs in the construction field usually cannot afford to have consultants dedicated to the application of energy efficiency solutions only. Therefore, this project aim at providing VET training able to support SMEs and professionals in improving their competences. Moreover, EEE project intends to impact SMEs and therefore contributes to achieving the Green Deal goals activating the right knowledge in the construction of buildings. Also, this project aims at providing VET training for low-skilled/unemployed, showing them how the energy efficiency expert profession can easily become a powerful opportunity for career and growth.
Moreover, targeting Entrepreneurial Trainers and coaches will have a multiplying effect on improving skills and competencies as the programme priority requires: Empowering trainers will have a resonating effect on all the future generation of trainers, learners and SMEs by shaping the mindset both of individuals and VET providers. That is far more effective than trying to educate single unemployed professional or SMEs as the effect will be always limited by geographical constraints, cultural differences, starting conditions etc. Moreover, even if most of the EU countries have many historical companies with an old tradition, the exploitation of such an occurrence is very low.
Background
In January 2020 the EU Green Deal was announced by the EU Commission as a fundamental policy initiative. The goal is to make Europe a climate-neutral continent by protecting our natural habitat, thus enhancing the well-being of people, the planet and also for the economy. In order to reach this goal, the Green Deal seeks to bring important innovations also in the construction industry.
40% of our energy consumption is due to buildings and renovating buildings will help people to cut their energy bills and energy use. By using energy more efficiently and thereby consuming less, Europeans can lower their energy bills, help protect the environment and reduce the EU’s reliance on external suppliers of oil and gas. Energy efficiency needs to be improved throughout the full energy chain, from production to final consumption.
