Summary of the project Skills Energy BSR

Skills Energy BSR is one of 4 sector skill pilot projects launched by the European Commission, DG Education and Culture, in 2013. It will run until Feburary 2015.

In the field “Energy Saving and Resource Saving Construction” there is a strong demand for action. SMEs can definitely contribute to the solution and thereby at the same time open up new growth areas. However, there is an increasing lack of qualified employees.

SMEs make up 99% of all enterprises and almost 70% of all jobs and are important players in the energy and construction field. The lack of skilled professionals acts as the biggest hindrance. Therefore a new alliance “Technologies of Energy Saving and of Resource Saving Construction” oriented at SME is being formed with partners from 5 countries. This alliance is extended to 11 countries with 60 players and devotes to urgent educational issues in the energy field. Three educational packages for the energy field are to be developed and implemented:

1. A new, innovative professional training for young people with good practical skills (school graduates with learning difficulties in theoretical courses but with good manual skills) will be developed. These young people, often without a chance, with this professional training get outstanding career prospects; enterprises acquire urgently required personnel. Youth unemployment is reduced and the activities of SMEs in energy saving are promoted.

2. SMEs’ personnel can get good qualification thanks to short advanced training in the field of energy efficiency when this is oriented at differently qualified target groups and specific requirements of SMEs. Accordingly an advanced training programme with specific courses for SMEs will be developed and implemented. Thus, SMEs’ personnel will be qualified on a broad basis and preconditions for more intensive implementations of energy saving measures will be created.

3. To ensure the reservoir of young skilled entrepreneurs and management personnel for SMEs dual bachelor courses have acquitted themselves very well. In the project modules are developed which are integrated in these courses and qualify in energy saving technologies and renewable energy sources. Thus, the future management personnel in SMEs is prepared for the tasks in the energy field.
All three educational packages will be transferred to 60 education providers in 11 countries and implemented by them. These organisations maintain more than 450 000 SMEs so that due to permanent implementation with promotion by the existing alliance a very high number of SMEs and participants can be achieved.