GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

The proposed action should address one of the following thematic areas:

1. Skills development and deployment supporting the implementation of core provisions of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)

2. Skills development and deployment supporting the decarbonisation of the building stock

3. Skills development for small-scale renewable energy deployment and energy system integration, covering one or several of the following:

4. Development and delivery of innovative on-site training methods (especially for on-site workers/ craftspeople) as part of renovation projects, in cooperation with product manufacturers. Actions should focus on the skills needed to carry out deep renovation. The proposed methods should help address one of the main barriers to upskilling, i.e. the lack of time from companies and professionals to enrol in upskilling activities. The proposed training should ultimately facilitate the cooperation and understanding between different crafts and professions, and support a holistic vision of the building and of renovation works.

5. Skills development and deployment for the implementation and effective operation of integrated home renovation services (or one-stop-shops), providing coordinated and coherent responses to the needs of building owners at each step of their renovation journey: from technical and social diagnosis, technical offer, obtaining permits, finding qualified professionals, contracting of works, structuring and provision of finance (e.g. loans), facilitating access to available subsidies or other support schemes, to the monitoring of works and quality assurance.

Regardless of the thematic area addressed, proposals should:

• provide details on the actual scope and content of the training and qualification schemes to be developed/upgraded, e.g. professional profiles and levels in the European Qualification Framework targeted; thematic coverage; duration of the training; validation mechanisms.
• include activities ensuring the recognition of trained and qualified professionals.
• include train-the-trainer activities.
• include a testing and validation phase for the new or upgraded qualification schemes developed; this testing and validation phase should take place during the project lifetime. It will take the form of training sessions for building professionals, during which participants will trial and test the draft qualification scheme, the curriculum, the training materials as well as the recognition mechanisms developed within the project. Infrastructure costs for developing new or upgrading existing training facilities will not be considered eligible.
• include activities to develop a strategy ensuring that the proposed schemes will be scaled up and sustained after the end of the project, linking to available sources of funding at national and EU level.