About BUSLeague

Dedicated to stimulate demand for sustainable energy skills in the construction sector

BUSLeague is an international project co-funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 framework programme for research and innovation (LC-SC3-2018-2019-2020 – Building a Low-Carbon, Climate Resilient Future: Secure, Clean, and Efficient Energy) under grant agreement No. 892894.

CHALLENGES

Since 2010, the need to upskill the construction sector to deliver quality nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB) and deep energy renovations has been highlighted as one of the main challenges to the sector. Through the BUILD UP Skills initiative and the consequent Construction Skills projects under the Horizon 2020 program, major successes in member states have been achieved. Examples include roadmaps for upskilling based on analysis of the status quo, initiation and continuation of National Qualification Platforms and development of qualification and training schemes.

Despite these successes, the main challenge now is to act at market level and to support legislative changes that will stimulate the demand for energy skills. A significant remaining barrier related to this challenge is ‘how to motivate and upskill the majority of the workforce involved’ (blue collar workers and white collar professionals). For sustainable stimulation of demand for energy skills the BUSLeague consortium has distinguished five main challenges to be addressed in an integrated approach:

  • Challenge 1: Testing and Recognition of Skills

  • Challenge 2: Awareness of both the general public and workforce

  • Challenge 3: Lack of support / request for the skilled professional by the Public Authorities

  • Challenge 4: Lack of motivation, time and trainings

  • Challenge 5: Integration of new technologies and addressing new societal and technological trends

This leads to the overall aim of BUSLeague:

PROJECT SUMMARY

The overall aim of BUSLeague is to address and overcome the challenges of the stimulation of demand for energy skilled workforce (demand side), along with hands-on capacity building to increase the number of skilled workforce across the building design, operation and maintenance value chain (supply side). BUSLeague will achieve this objective by developing and implementing a cross European recognition of energy skills, together with upscaling successful training methods and techniques which have already been developed in previous EU and National initiatives such as BUILD UP Skills, Construction Skills. BUSLeague focusses on a blend of four elements: mutual recognition of energy skills, awareness raising, capacity building and legislative changes.

Implementation will be done at country specific and regional levels; based on a blend of measures to stimulate demand complimented with hands-on and practical upskilling of involved local and regional workforce. In this way engagement of SMEs will be ensured. BUSLeague is formed by a coalition of former BUILD UP Skills and Construction Skills projects. The partners believe that by working together the national implementation plans and developed means will improve and become more attractive and effective. BUSLeague is strengthened by experienced anthropology researchers and educational technology researchers in order to prove impact and to optimize the blends for stimulating demand and optimizing learning transfer of applied learning means and materials.

This is worked out in the following five specific qualitative objectives:

OBJECTIVES

  • Objective 1. On demand side: to provide access to skilled workforce easier and more attractive for companies and building owners alike, by providing recognition of energy skills and qualifications in the construction sector.

  • Objective 2. Awareness and influence legislative changes that will stimulate and advance the demand for energy skills.

  • Objective 3. Upscaling use of successful training methods and techniques which have already been applied in previous EU and National initiatives such as BUILD UP Skills.

  • Objective 4. To demonstrate increased demand and evidence based proof of successful upskilling.

  • Objective 5. To expand the BUSLeague at national and EU-level by developing and implementing a communication and replication strategy.

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