HABITABLE project promotes Green and Digital Skills in Aveiro
On 23rd and 24th May, the partners of the HABITABLE Project met in Aveiro to celebrate the Multiplier Event in Portugal and the 2nd Transnational Partners Meeting. The project’s 2nd Multiplier Event, entitled ‘Transforming Competences 4 Sustainable Habitat’, took place at the University of Aveiro and was co-organised by the partners Cluster Habitat Sustentável and CTCV. The event, which addressed the importance of green and digital skills in transforming the Habitat value chain, kicked off with an opening session by António Baio Dias (CTCV), followed by a speech entitled ‘Habitable – Alliance of Centres of Excellence in Vocational Training for Sustainable Habitat’ by Carmen Devesa (AEICE), who presented the project’s guidelines, objectives and expected results. The event continued with the intervention of Hélder Gonçalves (LNEG), who spoke about ‘Green Skills for Sustainable Habitat’, followed by a Panel Discussion on the same theme, moderated by Victor Ferreira (Cluster Habitat Sustentável). The panel featured interventions from: Ribeiro Anabela, University of Coimbra Ana Santana, Grestel – Produtos Cerâmicos, S.A. Francisco Paiva, AICCOPN António Neves, University of Aveiro Hugo Rodrigues, Ordem dos Engenheiros After the panel discussion, Sophie Patrício (Centre Region Coordination Commission) presented the Institutional Pact for Valuing the Circular Economy in the Centre Region and Ana Neves (Erasmus+ National Agency) presented the results achieved in ‘2023 – European Year of Skills’. The closing session was led by Victor Ferreira (University of Aveiro), who emphasised the topicality and relevance of reflecting on the issues discussed during this event, highlighting the decisive role that the HABITABLE project seeks to play in this discussion and its possible solutions. On 24th, also at the University of Aveiro, the project partners held their second face-to-face working meeting – ‘2nd Transnational Partners Meeting’, organised by the partner Cluster Habitat Sustentável, where they discussed the results of the tasks completed so far, presented the status of the tasks under development and planned the start of new tasks in the different WPs.
The HABITABLE SKILLS HUB development has already started!
With the objective of building up an online space devoted to skills: from acquisition and recognition to guidance. HABITABLE SKILLS HUB will provide VET teachers, learners, and SMEs employees, with labour market relevant skills, including those necessary for the green and digital transitions. This multifunctional hub will contain: An Online Training Centre, with different MOOCs and courses for trainers, SMEs and VET learners, A Curricula Digital Database, A Micro-credentials Certification Centre, A Career Guidance Space, with a SMART Career Guidance Assistant tool and a Career Guidance Handbook for the Habitat sector. As, this space will integrate smart data and information from previous project developments as the Sector Map of Jobs and Skills, the Training Offer Panel or the WBL for ALL Space, partners used the 2nd TPM – Transnational Partners Meeting in Aveiro, Portugal, to discuss the challenges of these tools.
Co-Creating the Habitat Skills Ecosystem
One goal related to the co-creation of the Habitat Skills Ecosystem is to establish an Habitat Sector Skills Strategy. With this purpose, a working paper on the skills strategy and ecosystem for the Habitat sector was prepared and presented by the General Director of Vocational Education and Training of the Education Ministry in Castilla y León, Mr. Agustín Siguenza, on the HABITABLE Kick-off meeting celebrated in October 2023. This document outlines a strategy for developing professional capacities in the Habitat sector, starting by establishing the desired approach for this assignment and then continuing with the description of the skills ecosystem model. The document was shared with the project partners for feedback, and after incorporating contributions, the final version was presented at 2nd TPM – Transnational Partners Meeting in Aveiro, Portugal, in May 2024. Having completed the first steps of this task, the current efforts are now concentrated on defining and integrating recommendations for implementing the International Network Alliance.
Next Habitable Multiplier Event
Last March 20th, “the European Commission presented an action plan to tackle labour and skills shortages and proposes to work together with Member States and social partners to address these issues over the coming months and years. The action plan is part of the EU’s strategy to boost its competitiveness and enhance its economic and social resilience. The labor shortage that has been observed for more than a decade in Europe is due to several factors such as demographic changes but also to the search for new skills that allow companies to make their way in the green and digital transition. In this context, the European Commission identified 42 “missing” professions, with some differences between Member States.” (in European Commission press release) From an economic point of view, a vast set of activities are developed in the different sectors of the HABITAT value chain, which integrate a large number of professional occupations, multiple profiles and qualifications, with a diverse range of skills. The sectors of the HABITAT value chain constitute an essential ecosystem to respond to the various challenges that the European Union faces, namely, from climate change to the sustainability of urban and industrial interventions, with human capital being a critical factor for the Green and Digital Transition of this ecosystem. However, organizations belonging to these sectors have difficulty attracting and recruiting professionals, and there is also an inadequacy of the skills of these profiles to respond to the aforementioned challenges. It is therefore essential to attract more people and equip them with the appropriate skills. On May 23, in Aveiro (Portugal) we will bring together experts, professionals from the Habitat sector, business associations, training providers, higher education institutions, teachers/trainers and other stakeholders for an afternoon of reflection and debate on the empowerment the workforce (current and future) for the green and digital transition. Stay tunned, the agenda will be released soon!
HABITABLE partners bridging the gap | Workshop on Training & Needs
On 15th March, the partners of the HABITABLE project came together to discuss the development of a ground-breaking Skills Intelligence Monitoring System (SIMS) for the Habitat sector in an online workshop. This system, that aims to bridge the gap between training and the needs of the labour market, is being co-designed by the HABITABLE partners and will compile valuable data on training needs, strategic competences, and available training offers within the sector. The SIMS will not only forecast skills gaps but also track current and future trends in jobs and skills within the Habitat sector. Additionally, it will provide valuable input for updating resources like the Sector Map of Jobs and Skills and the Training Offer Panel – TOP HABITAT.
AEICE highlights the key role of Vocational Training in facing the demographic challenge in Castilla y León, thanks to projects such as HABITABLE
On 2nd and 3rd February 2024, the Forum “Territorios con futuro”, organised by the Efficient Habitat Cluster of Castilla y León (AEICE), took place in Ávila, Spain. During this event, AEICE, underlined the fundamental role played by Vocational Training in promoting entrepreneurship in the rural areas and sustaining the population in activities linked to heritage, digitalisation processes and ecological transformation through the circular economy, among other topics, such as the attraction of talent to sectors like the Habitat. The director of AEICE, Mr. Enrique Cobreros, also pointed out the key role of vocational training in activities linked to the Habitat sector, such as industrialisation and decarbonisation, which require innovative responses that “adjust to the needs of the sector and that constitute in themselves an opportunity for young people to settle in the rural world and create wealth”. The General Director of Vocational Education of the Junta de Castilla y León, Mr. Agustín Sigüenza, during his speech at the forum, stressed the idea mentioned above by AEICE and gave the example of the Erasmus Cove HABITABLE project, a pioneer in Spain and Europe, which aims to align VET with the needs of the Habitat sector, a sector defined by the Sectoral Habitat Plan of Castilla y León. These initiatives together with the HABITABLE project, place the region at the European forefront of Excellence in Vocational Training. The HABITABLE project, that was officially presented to the Ministry of Education of Spain in March 2023, aims to create a skills ecosystem to boost regional development, innovation, and public-private collaboration, ensuring qualified personnel for the Habitat value chain, supported by the European Quality Assurance Framework (EQAVET).
Habitable CoVE Project
The CoVE Erasmus+ HABITABLE project “Alliance of Centres of Excellence in Vocational Training for Sustainable Habitat” aims to respond to the needs of the HABITAT sector that strives to find future workers with the necessary skills. The actions to be developed start with an intelligent analysis of the demand together with the study of the training provided by the existing Vocational Training entities, all this through the development of the necessary IT tools, which will allow the development of a strategy for the continuous training of trainers, workers and employers in the HABITAT sector. A certification system will keep workers’ curricula up to date and propose a training itinerary aimed at the intelligent improvement of their skills. In the meantime, a powerful dissemination strategy will be deployed to extend the tools and methodology of this project to all European regions. AEICE is the Coordinating Beneficiary Entity of the project, which means that the efforts of 17 partners from 6 European countries (Spain, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Georgia and Moldova) are brought together and brought to fruition. In addition, AEICE is leading the work aimed at establishing a common capacity building strategy for the Habitat sector. Short-term objectives: Establish a common reference framework to be applied to the skills training structure needed for the Habitat sector in the six partner countries. To develop the necessary IT tools to ensure inclusive access to the entire labour market of the Habitat sector. Medium-term objectives: To extend the implementation framework established by the project to the rest of the European Union. To achieve the ecological and digital transition of the labour market of the habitat sector and of all the actors involved in it.
