Last month, European partners gathered in Paisley to discuss the future of vocational training for the renewable energy sector.

The meeting was part of the ‘Bricks of Skills’ project, which is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission.

Led by West College Scotland, Bricks of Skills brings together a wide range of experts from the Cyprus Energy Agency, NADACE ABF from the Czech Republic, GIP FCIP de l’academie de Caen of France, Associazione NET from Italy, Consorzio Formedil Emilia Romagna, also from Italy, and CICCOPN from Portugal.

The partners met over the course of two days, and visited West College Scotland’s Institute of Construction and Engineering.

Running from 2018 to 2021, the project aims to develop flexible learning pathways focused on renewable technologies. The partners are designing these pathways to help learners develop the skills they need to contribute to the creation of innovative energy solutions for Europe. These learning pathways are being designed in accordance with the ECVET model, with the aim of achieving mutual recognition of skills and qualifications, to overcome the fragmentation of construction professions and lack of standardisation at EU level.

West College Scotland Economic Development Manager, Allan Dick said of the project,

“‘We were delighted to welcome our European partners to Paisley. Bricks of Skills gives us a real opportunity to come together and make sure that the construction training we are offering our students properly equips them for a future career in which renewable technologies will be increasingly important." 

He continued, "We’re excited to see where the project takes us, and we are confident that our collaboration will create real benefits for the construction sector across Europe.”

For more information, see www.bricksofskills.eu or follow the project on Twitter @BricksofSkills.