Fundación Laboral de la Construcción hosted the kick-off meeting of the ‘Construction Blueprint 2’ project at its headquarters in Madrid on 11 and 12 February. This initiative, co-funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme, aims to build upon the progress made in the first phase of ‘Construction Blueprint’, promoting training and qualification in the construction sector to address the challenges of digital and green transitions across Europe.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the 20 institutions from the consortium, coming from 10 European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia and Spain), as well as representatives from the European Commission: Mr. Roman Horvath, Policy Officer at the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and Mr. Paolo Zancanella, Project Officer at the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Additionally, partnership includes the construction sector's employer association (National Confederation of Construction, CNC) and the two major trade unions in Spain (CCOO del Hábitat y UGT FICA).

During the meeting, the project's main lines of work were established. Over four years, the initiative will focus on improving workers' skills in the sector, promoting new training methodologies, and fostering collaboration between businesses and training centres, in line with the principles of the Pact for Skills in Construction.

The project will develop innovative training strategies and adapt educational programmes to current labour market needs by implementing digital tools and promoting skills related to energy efficiency and sustainability. Key project outcomes include:

• Roadmap/Action Plan on measures to update the skills of professionals in the sector, aligned with the principles of the Pact for Skills in Construction.
• Training programmes/curricula aimed at sector staff, including different qualification levels and profiles.
• Interactive map of best practices and initiatives related to professional upslikking and reskilling in the sector.
• Skills Observatory for the anticipation of skills needs, both technical and cross-cutting.
• Curricula and training programmes (including training content) for emerging skill needs in vocational and higher education.
• CVET training actions to address urgent skills needs for current construction workers.
• Digital matrix of emerging skills for the construction industry.
• Web-app compiling available training resources for the construction sector.
• White paper on innovative training methodologies.
• Micro-credentials certification approach.
• Funding sources to ensure the project's results continue at European, national, and regional levels.

About the 'Construction Blueprint' project

This new initiative aims to continue and update the work carried out by the first 'Construction Blueprint' project, coordinated by Fundación Laboral de la Construcción from 2019 to 2023. That project developed a new strategic approach to professional skills in the construction industry, aligning business needs with the competencies provided by training centres. To successfully achieve this goal, the project brought together three European sectoral organisations, nine national sectoral representatives, and twelve vocational education and training (VET) and higher education providers from twelve European Union countries: Germany, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, and Portugal.

The European involvement of FLC

As project coordinator, Fundación Laboral de la Construcción reaffirms its commitment to improving vocational training in the sector and creating synergies between the various stakeholders. According to Javier González, Director of Training and Employment at the organisation: “This second phase of ‘Construction Blueprint’ is another step towards our goal of modernising and making the construction sector more attractive to new generations.”

The project aligns with the EU’s commitment to improving training and employability in key sectors, supporting initiatives such as the Pact for Skills and the European Renovation Wave. As European Commission representatives stated, ‘Construction Blueprint 2’ is expected to have a significant impact on improving skills and attracting talent to the construction sector across Europe.

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.