On 15 November, 17 representatives of the Panhellenic Association of Engineers and Contractors for Public Works (Pedmede), led by the president of the Epirus Regional Section of the institution, Ntatsis Georgius, visited the facilities of the Fundación Laboral in Badalona.

The manager of the joint entity in Catalonia, Lucia Lopez Alé, welcomed the representatives of the Pedmede association, and presented the main aims and services of the Foundation.

In addition, the Manager pointed out the experience of the institution over ten years and highligthed its collaboration in national and international projects with other institutions and manufacturers. This collaborations promote the latest trends and the training system implemented by the Foundation in the Spanish construction sector, which are based on BIM (Building Information Modeling), and in the promotion of professional skills related to technological changes and digital transformation. All of this seeks to update the skills of the workers and to achieve more competitive and sustainable companies.

Afterwards, Silvia Santos, project officer at International Projects department, explained the European initiatives of the entity, such as the Construction Blueprint project, which objective is to incorporate the training needs by the companies and the training offered by training centres.

During the four years of the project, the aim will be to define a joint sectoral strategy for the construction industry based on professional skills. This will facilitate a sustainable and common approach at European level, linked to the growth strategy of the sector. It will also support the industry's most urgent challenges and seek to achieve its medium and long-term objectives, including innovation, competitiveness and employment.

In addition, Construction Blueprint will carry out an outreach and awareness campaign to promote the attractiveness of the sector to women and to young people; in order to achieve a gender balance in the construction, and also to encourage the mobility of apprentices and professionals from EU Member States.

The members of the association also visited the facilities of the training centre in Badalona and were introduced to the tools for providing practical training. Some of the facilities shown were the Centre for Preventive Practices, where prevention practices are carried out and where a work site is simulated. The Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) showroom and the training workshops were also shown.

The visiting organization, founded in 1935, brings together companies of all sizes dedicated to the construction of public and private works in Greece. It has 15 regional sections and a section of Construction Companies, and is the only Greek association that represents the country abroad, being a member of the European Federation of the Construction Industry (FIEC) since 1970 and of the European International Contractors (EIC).

In addition, Pedmede is a partner in the strategic project Construction Blueprint, which has been led by Fundación Laboral de la Construcción since January 1st.