Need

Accounting for around 40% of GHG emissions from building operations and an additional 10-20% from embodied emissions, the construction sector is one of the major contributors to the climate crisis, making it a priority target for the green transformation.

The urgency of the climate crisis requires accelerating the transfer and adoption of climate change mitigation knowledge and capabilities to workers, businesses, policy makers, and the public.

The need for skilled workers and educated professionals is a significant bottleneck for rethinking the built environment and the construction ecosystem and transform it towards a regenerative model.

Mission

The New European Bauhaus Academy (NEBA), a flagship initiative of the European Commission on skills for sustainable construction, accelerates the up- and re-skilling of the current and future workforce to transition to a resilient domestic building construction sector.

“NEB Academy’s mission is to train, upskill, and reskill the construction ecosystem to achieve a carbon neutral building sector and a beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive transformation of the built environment.”

The main goal is to unlock the decisive potential of the decarbonisation of the built environment by a major transformation. The ambition is to establish NEBA as the European point of reference for skills and knowledge on bio-based, circular and digital solutions in construction.

“I welcome the New European Bauhaus Academy Alliance, a powerhouse of 14 European partners, ready to launch its EU-wide training network. It will be a solid support for Europe's construction industry, addressing labour shortages and promoting knowledge sharing including on sustainable bio-based solutions, like the circular use of wood and other innovative materials.”

Ursula von der Leyen | President of the European Commission

“The New European Bauhaus is about bringing the European Green Deal to our living spaces. To make it a success, we need to equip our construction sector with the skills and knowledge it needs to tap into the potential of sustainable solutions. This is where the NEB Academy will make a difference.”

Iliana Ivanova | Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

“I welcome the New European Bauhaus Academy Alliance, a powerhouse of 14 European partners, ready to launch its EU-wide training network. It will be a solid support for Europe's construction industry, addressing labour shortages and promoting knowledge sharing including on sustainable bio-based solutions, like the circular use of wood and other innovative materials.”

Elisa Ferreira | Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms

NEB Academy vision

• In 2 years, the NEBA Alliance has built a self-sustainable, recognised pan-European training ecosystem of NEBA Hubs and pilot training activities.
• In 5 years, the NEB Academy offering micro-credentials and other trainingactivities which are transferable throughout Europe in certain construction ecosystem professions to maintain current knowledge, upskill workers andshape EU policies.
• In 10 years, the NEB Academy is accepted globally and is shaping policies of European Union and beyond by offering high quality trainings.

Main expected impacts

The NEB Academy will make a significant contribution to the European Commission’s target of training 3 million workers in 5 years by 2030. The business model for bringing more hubs into the Alliance and growing the community of practice will ensure more workers are trained, and companies are ready to invest into up-/re-skilling. The up- and re-skilled workforce will enhance stability, resilience and competitiveness to SMEs and mid-caps attempting to gain market entrance if a highly competitive sector.

“Providing training for actors all across the construction ecosystem, and spread all around Europe, will help increase the use of biomaterials and ensure more people have access to healthy, beautiful buildings for work, living, and learning.”

Prof. Andreja Kutnar | University of Primorska, Slovenia, Coordinator of the NEBA Alliance

Training

Offering training via a digital platform and applying innovative pedagogies will be useful in attracting young talent and professionals from other disciplines to the construction sector. The availability of digital training materials will help ensure learners and trainers in both cities and rural areas across EU regions have access to the same high-quality materials.

Trust in the training contents and their quality will be ensured through NEBA Alliance certification. NEBA will set a new benchmark for the quality and availability of training raising the bar for other training providers. The long-term and sustainable NEBA model for providing training can be extended to and replicated in other domains.

Over time, the up- and re-skilling of workers will accelerate the decarbonisation of the built environment and reduce GHG emissions from buildings.

Target groups

TG1 - Education, training and academia

TG1 is the main target group of institutions that can become members/partners and contributors of the NEBA. Based on the ‘train-the-trainers’ approach, they will be direct users of NEBA training courses and materials, and they will thus reach the other TGs 2, 3 & 4 within their national and regional setting. Contents are co-created to suit specific needs of their users.

• 1.1 Higher education and universities
• 1.2 VET centres and professional schools
• 1.3 Other training providers, e.g., specialised companies, associations, networks, clusters, living labs, makers spaces, technological hubs.

TG2 – Construction ecosystem, private sector

TG2 comprises the main beneficiaries of the NEBA trainings, notably workers and employees in SMEs and mid-caps, and other professionals in the construction ecosystem. It includes several diverse subgroups, which each will be addressed specifically. The training materials used require targeted contents and suitable formats in respect to educational levels and goals, notably to transfer usable skills and knowledge on biobased, digital and circular solutions.

• 2.1 Construction industries and contractors
• 2.2 Developers and investors
• 2.3 Architects, engineers, and designers
• 2.4 Biobased/bioeconomy industries
• 2.5 Creative and Cultural heritage sector
• 2.6 Industry associations and federations
• 2.7 Financial sector, investors
• 2.8 Others: Suppliers, related industries

TG3 - Public bodies and policy makers

TG3 includes decision makers and supporting organisations that create the enabling environment for the transition of the built environment. They require specific training formats with less ‘practical’ content and technical detail, but relevant information for decision processes about benefits and advantages of biobased, digital and sustainability solutions.

• 3.1 Public decision-makers and planners, regions, and cities
• 3.2 Legislators, national/ regional ministries, and governments
• 3.3 Standardisation bodies
• 3.4 Funding organisations

TG4 - General public and civil society

TG4 engages all citizens and end-users who are affected by products and systems in the built environment. Contents require to raise awareness for biobased solutions affecting wellbeing, health, sustainable environment, nature, beauty/aesthetics, affordability, inclusiveness, social impacts.

• 4.1. Citizens and representative bodies, such as end-users, customers, NGOs
• 4.2 Media