Above all, we congratulate all our consortium partners for achieving the project's first milestone. As one of the main Train4Sustain's activities and goals, we set the targets to establish an EU-wide harmonised Competence Quality Standard (CQS), a methodology to assess and compare the competence of blue- and white-collar workers in the construction industry across the European Union. With the lead of iiSBE Italia, the partners delivered a high-class system to evaluate building professionals' skills and competencies about sustainable energy and create new possibilities for cross-border exchanges and collaboration. Furthermore, they applied Train4Sustain's CQS to map more than 300 qualification schemes and gather more insight into training available on the market.
Parallel with these activities, the developers at Geonardo (Hungary) successfully translated the methodology and the concept of the CQS into an online tool that will further facilitate the mutual recognition of skills and competence of workers and professionals in the construction sector. Launched in the middle of the year, the European Skill Registry (ESR) is now an up and running platform where construction and building professionals can showcase and compare qualification schemes. This way, professionals and project owners can be supported via a matchmaking hub that assesses applicants' competencies and expertise. Moreover, registered users can also generate their own Skills Passport based on their collected Learning Outcomes (of qualification schemes) and gathered training across Europe. All these ready-to-market tools serve the need for skills validation and recognition.
What to expect in 2022
2022 will be an equally busy and challenging year for the TRAIN4SUSTAIN consortium.
The Competence Quality Standard needs to "mature", be tested, and applied to different conditions in the EU Member States. To this end, we will launch a CEN Worksop Agreement to evaluate and develop the CQS. It will fulfil the CQS's potential and be a benchmark tool in line with the standards used by the industry, support the recognition of skills, and push the market towards the uptake of skilled professionals who have up-to-date knowledge and experience related to sustainable energy.
In line with this ambition, Generalitat de Catalunya in Spain will also apply and test the CQS and ESR in a pilot, where they will be used to develop tools for public procurement. This process will address the need to find the competitive edge of establishing skill requirements and evaluate applicants based on the standard to foster the broad uptake of sustainable energy skills in the European construction sector.
2022 will be the last year of project implementation. Rest assured we have so much more in store for you, so be sure to follow Train4Sustain on Twitter and LinkedIn and stay tuned!