Bricks of Skills is a project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, that brings together partners from six countries to address common approaches and standards to skills development and mobility of workers across Europe in the context of energy efficient investment in the Construction industry It is the strong will of Bricks of Skills partners to contribute to the necessary evolution of jobs in the construction industry and its strategic role in defining an innovative training design to address the fundamental issue. “A renovation wave for Europe: greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives”, published by the EU, in view of reaching the ambitious target for energy saving by 2050, it is clear “creating green jobs, upskilling workers and attracting new talents” is a urgent priority.The Bricks of Skills Objectives •develop flexible learning pathways focused on energy efficiency which can modernise, reward and resource the education and training of people for competitive and innovative solutions in Europe. •design EU recognised and standardised qualification pathways in accordance with the ECVET model, with the aim to overcome the fragmentation of construction professions and facilitate free movement of construction professionals in the EU •favour a cross-cutting understanding of the different trades in the construction sector through the flexibility of blended Learning Outcomes which are transferable and applicable to the different qualifications •enable learners to build a qualification at their own pace from learning outcomes acquired in their own country and abroadOutputs The first step towards achieving the objectives has been a joint design of Units of Learning Outcomes (ULOs), which are conceived as “learning bricks” meant to enable beneficiaries of construction training / education paths to gain knowledge, skills and competences in the field of Energy Efficiency and connected to the qualifications targeted (EQF 4-5 level).Bricks of Skills partners have developed 5 Bricks of Skills Units of Learning Outcomes translated in all the partnership languages•Awareness of Renewable Energies Technologies•Solar Energy•Technology & Materials•HVAC Ventilation mechanical•Energy efficiency of the building envelopeAnd•Bricks of Skills Guidelines to design Energy Efficiency Units of Learning Outcomes•Bricks of Skills Guidance to Implement ECVET for Energy Efficiency The innovative aspect was that Bricks of Skills partners adopted the ECVET model (European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training). This means that Bricks of Skills beneficiaries could achieve a qualification by accumulating the required learning outcomes, achieved in different countries and different contexts while respecting national legislation relating to the accumulation of units and the recognition of learning outcomes.It is Bricks of Skills partners strong belief that such an approach is an important step towards a truly integrated labour market and standardisation of skills which is highly required in the construction industry. Up to now, students in vocational education are not allowed to get their studies from abroad. In our Bricks of Skills partners we tried to demonstrate that through an ECVET approach we could fill this void and offer the chance for the participants to truly benefit from the opportunities offered by an integrated EuropeParticipants The Bricks of Skills partners piloted the delivery and assessment of the designed Energy Skills ULOs with 12 trainers drawn all partners at a Joint Staff Training Learning Activity in January 2020 just prior to the onset of Covid. Once back to their home countries these trainers transferred their knowledge to their colleagues thus replicating the impact of the LA. A further Learning Activity of a Blended Mobility of VET Learners was first postponed and then cancelled due to the pandemic but replaced by in-country piloting which had the benefit of reaching more participants across the partnership than originally planned. Partners have committed to sign a BoS “Memorandum of Understanding” and a “Learning Agreement”, which ensures that the qualifications achieved at one institution will be accepted at the other. For the time being, this is an pilot aimed at demonstrating that the approach can work. We need however a strong commitment from the qualification bodies in each country to make it happen on a wider and regular scale. If students could get their training abroad certified and recognised by their home institution, they would be more motivated to try to complete their training paths abroad and the training institution would greatly increase its attractiveness. This would be a real incentive to undertake vocational learning paths abroad. Improved mobility means that, following a placement abroad, learners come back with a certificate which is recognised in their own training system or learning context.

A high percentage of young people in Europe does not participate in any kind of vocational training. The young people concerned often share a history of school and work absences, have social problems or a criminal or drug-related past, and thus generally have little chance of finding a job. The objectives of the Europe 2020 programme include increasing the employment rate of the population aged 20-64 from 69% today to at least 75% and reducing the proportion of citizens below the national poverty line by 25%.The VETinCon project had three main objectives:One objective was to improve equal opportunities and to involve disadvantaged young people in vocational training and the labour market. The practical handbook developed in the VETinCon project deals precisely with this target group: examples of good practice for the integration of young people in vocational education and training in the construction sector from six partner countries are presented, their applicability in the respective national contexts examined and conceived in the form of concrete national realization plans, partly tested and finally disseminated. The best practices presented are adaptable and transferable to various European vocational training systems and to other educational institutions and sectors. Thus, the project results promote an entry into successful vocational education and training, from the local to the European level.In addition, the competence of educational staff and youth workers in vocational training institutions in the construction sector should be promoted. In the multiplier and other dissemination events, the educational staff and social pedagogues of the partners or associated institutions were given knowledge about the respective recipes for success and pitfalls of the best practices used in other countries, and those responsible for training in construction companies and associations were also informed. The third objective was to improve the quality/labour market relevance of vocational training both for the young people concerned and for companies in the construction industry. Best practices promoting strong networks between training institutions and construction companies, are now part of the handbook and can contribute to promoting the quality of execution in the construction sector.The project was implemented by seven different institutions from six partner countries. All partners are either vocational training providers or associations of national construction industries with experience and expertise in the field of vocational orientation and the integration of disadvantaged young people into vocational training in the construction industry. A moderated exchange of experience was implemented in transnational project meetings and work steps agreed for the individual work in the partner countries. 16 national multiplier events were held in each partner country. They served to disseminate the five Intellectual Outputs created in the project: Output 1: Systematic overview of best practices for integrating young people into vocational training in the construction industry.Output 2: Questionnaire to identify the most suitable best practices.Output 3: National realization plansOutput 4: Evaluation reportOutput 5: Practice handbookAll results are available in English, German, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Italian and Swedish.The main project objective of improving equal opportunities and involving disadvantaged young people in vocational training and the labour market was decisively promoted by the project. More and more young people with fewer opportunities on the labour market were continuously integrated into vocational training or employment in the construction sector or into vocational training in general. Not least due to the best practices implemented by the project partners from other European countries, innovative measures could be taken to integrate disadvantaged young people into vocational training or employment in the construction sector at European level, which would not have been possible without the project. The most promising best practice examples will continue to be considered and developed in the partner institutions in the future. By directly addressing relevant decision-makers, the national or regional prerequisites for the implementation of these implementation plans can be improved and their implementation facilitated in the future. Communication with stakeholders in vocational education and training does not end at the end of the project, but will be supported in the long term by the experience gained in the project.The announcement of the project results to the social partners of relevant institutions and experts from other sectors will ensure the sustainable use of the project results in the construction sector and other sectors.

The Project will commence implementation of the Roadmap established and endorsed under Pillar I Build Up Skills project in the Czech Republic. Specifically, the project will implement measures 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 of the Roadmap. Moreover, the project will continue (as follow up to BUS StavEdu project) in implementing the Roadmap established and endorsed under Pillar I Build Up Skills project in Slovakia. Specifically, the project will focus on measures 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 2.6 of the Roadmap. The Project will set up in the Czech Republic the national qualification and training scheme for craftsmen and on-site workers in the field of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources in buildings. It will also develop the training offer delivered via Slovak national scheme STAVEDU. Capitalising on the language proximity, the project will facilitate transfer of know-how and experience from the STAVEDU and Train-to-NZEB (H2020 GA no. 649810), as well as Fit-to-NZEB (H2020, GA no. 754059 ) projects between Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Particularly the project will lead to: • Development of 7 training programmes for further education and training of craftsmen and on-site workers in the field energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources of buildings. • Development of on-site training course based on the training course developed by CrossCraft project (IEE project BUS Pillar II); • Development of training courses for further education and training of craftsmen and on-site workers in the field energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources of buildings; • Setting up permanent network of trainers delivering the programmes developed under the project; • Training of trainers for delivery of the programmes; • Development of e-learning programme for targeted craftsmen and construction professionals in Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia; • Proposals to governments for incentives boosting demand for highly qualified workers.