On the 23rd of October 2023, the «Reskilling for the Green Transition» workshop was held as part of the European project «BuildSkills Academy», funded by the Erasmus+ programme. The event was dedicated to the European Vocational Skills Week and was held at “OIKODOMOS” Vocational Education Center and gathered a diverse group of participants, from university students to practitioners.
The event proved to be a resounding success, inspiring and motivating attendees. During the event, information was provided regarding the aim of the «BuildSkills Academy» project and the role of the three Cyprus organisations participating in the project [Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus Certification Company and KyklOIKOdromio]. Specifically, the construction sector, a major employer in Europe and Cyprus, has a significant environmental, societal and economic impact and is identified as a priority for the twin transition (Green and Digital) towards a resource-efficient and competitive economy. The sector faces significant challenges in attracting young and skilled workers and re-skilling and upskilling the active workforce. Knowledge gaps and evolving market needs towards transitional skills and competencies emerge all over Europe. At the same time, the VET systems in the different MSs are slow in introducing these skills into their offerings.
Additionally, the competence recognition frameworks still need to be more cohesive in the MSs, with no mutual standard for certification of transitional skills. The Academy for Transitional Skills in the Built Environment (BuildSkills Academy) will respond to these needs. It will support the skills ecosystems to drive the twin transition by developing a transnational cooperation platform of CoVEs, aiming to foster VET excellence for the construction sector.
Introduction to the project was followed by presentations regarding the human capital supply and demand forecasts in the Cypriot economy 2022-2032 (Stelios Mytides, Officer A’, Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus (HRDA)), green skills arising from developments in certification (Anna Dionysiou, Standardization Officer, Civil Engineer), retraining needs in the construction sector (Yiannos Poumpouris, Director, Federation of Cyprus Building Contractors Associations (OSEOK)) and the possibility of developing skills under the Erasmus+ programme (Dr Stylianos Mavromoustakos, Director, Cyprus Foundation for the Management of European Lifelong Learning Programmes).
The project Academy for Transitional Skills in the Build Environment is co-funded by the European Union, ERASMUS+ Programme under Grant Agreement number 101104419.
