In the environmental field the 20-20-20 climate targets have been formulated by the EU. In concrete terms it is being postulated that by 2020:
- emissions of greenhouse gases will be cut by 20%,
- a 20% share of energy end-use will be from renewable energy sources and
- there will be a 20% saving in energy demand.
The construction sector can make an immense contribution to help society meet these targets. This means, among other things, that there will need to be an increase in the number of qualified workers. The transposition of these developments into appropriate craftsmanship and the qualifications they entail, training in short, perhaps constitutes the greatest challenge.
The European Community shares this concern. For this reason a call for projects was issued from the European authorities for projects to be set up in the various member states which would help in ensuring that the workers’ qualification level is of a nature such that they are capable of erecting and renovating buildings that meet the new requirements. Build Up Skills Belgium is a consortium consisting of fvb-ffc Constructiv [the Belgian construction industry training fund], BBRI, VEA [the Flemish Energy Agency] and SPW-DGO4 [the Walloon Public Service for Planning, Housing, Heritage and Energy]. They are conducting research jointly in order to achieve the project target. In order to prepare the existing workforce for the future demands, this project will:
1. Analyse the current state of affairs.
2. Gather all relevant stakeholders in the field of EE, RES and the training of construction workers. Stakeholders will include public and private organisations in the field of Vocational Education and Training (VET), public bodies that develop policies in the field of EE and RES, Social partners
3. The platform will then develop a roadmap to 2020.