This 90-minute virtual workshop joined together several EU projects to expose their approach (and / or results) and discuss potential synergies to stimulate future public and private investments in energy-based habitat renovation. The specific focus was to accelerate the training and certification of craftsmen in the construction and fitters’ industries and allow these sectors to fully embrace innovative technologies, products, and systems in the energy for buildings field. The objectives were to respond to the challenges of keeping pace with innovation and be more productive and collaborative thanks to appropriate training and skills building, that will be further instrumental in new services to asset owners and operators, and to eventually lead towards more resilient, high-quality, user friendly and age-friendly living environments.

The European Construction sector faces unprecedented challenges to achieve ambitious energy efficiency objectives, that can be met only if successful training initiatives and supporting policy instruments are put in place, acting as a springboard to stimulate the demand for energy efficiency skills. The objective is to increase the number of skilled building professionals and/or blue-collar workers across the building design, operation, and maintenance value chain (designers, architects, engineers, building managers, technicians, installers, blue collar workers including apprentices, and other building professionals), with a specific focus on the engagement of SMEs. Recourse to skilled professionals/workers both for renovations and new constructions of buildings and district scale solutions should be made more attractive and easier for companies and homeowners alike.

• Introduction: Welcome, Mohaddeseh Maktabifard, R2M Solution
• INSTRUCT: Ioan Petri, Cardiff University
• BUSLeague: Marion Jammet, Irish Green building Council
• TRAIN4SUSTAIN: Uli Jakob, JER
• HP4All: Padriac O’Reilly, LIT
• The nZEB Roadshow: Dragomir Tzanev, Eneffect
• PRO-Heritage: Gerald Wagenhofer, UBW
• CraftEdu: Jiri Karasek, SEVEn
• BIMzeED: Jose Lucas, ITEC
• ARISE: Paul McCormack, Belfast Met
• SEEtheSkills: Lihnida Stojanovska-Georgievska, UKIM
• Q&A: All the projects
• Conclusion & wrap up: Mohaddeseh Maktabifard, R2M Solution