The “Eco-trainer” qualification for the construction industry will be launched on the second half of 2019

European project Bus.Trainers’s consortium designed a professional qualification, specialized in energy efficient and renewal energy system which will be recognized by the EU.

Eleven partners from Spain, Greece, Italy, Malta and Portugal just finished “Eco-trainer”, the qualification in Vocational Training (VET) for trainers in the construction sector, it was developed under the European project framework called Bus.Trainers. It is a specialized training in specific competences in energy efficient (EE) and renewal energy system (RES), based on innovate tools for trainers who seek raising, from trainers’ knowledge, the competitiveness in the industry and its transmission to the workers and future employees of the sector.

The trainer is the main figure who raise awareness among students about environmental problems related to construction activities. It was established by the initiative Build Up Skills, which is looking at that energy horizon of the European Union by 2020 and further (2030, 2050).

The Bus.Trainers consortium created a new European qualification sectorial: «Eco-Trainer of the construction inustry», after making the «Report of the gaps of VET trainers of the construction sector in green skills» and a «Map and perimeter of the final competences» which reflected, not just the lack of training, causing trainers to deal with this subject, but also the necessary educational, transversal and green skills to create a competitive market.

Its development is based on a previous work of the project; this defined “the profile of the trainer of the construction regarding environmental competences” in which were identified and analyzed the lacks of competences of the trainers in teaching EE and RES subjects in the construction industry. The credential can be obtained by a training course or by an experience recognition that will enter in the second half of 2019.

Validation and recognition of the European framework

This qualification follows the European Qualification Framework (EQF) based on Knowledge-Skills-Competencies (KSC) which strengthens de facto knowledge, skills and competences, and it is compatible with the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET).

By following this guidelines and frameworks, the trainers that obtain the “Eco-Trainer” qualification will get a level 6 EQF training, corresponding to the knowledge acquired, with credits recognized by the EU (it is planned to introduce de level 9 ECVET) that means they will get the recognition and validation of the competences and knowledge, acquired in this professional qualification.

The study programs have 225 teaching hours that will be teach in mixed sessions, practice and theory (by e-learning and in person), with the contact and direct supervision of the trainers, videoconferences, self-taught and evaluation procedures. It has eight module, and everyone has a series of learning units: three units for the modules one and seven, containing technical themes, and eight for the last module, which has pedagogical skills.

The following is the structure of the course:

This qualification is still pending for review of the external evaluator, and on April 12 and 13 it was finished and approved in the last meeting held in Rome with the Bus.Trainers partners, with Ente per la Formazione e l’addestramento professionale nell’edilizia (Formedil) as host.

 

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The Bus.Trainers’s leaflet is available
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