On October 6, the Spanish delegations -comprising representatives from the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE) and the General Subdirectorate of the Budget Office of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITERD)– and the Portuguese delegation from the LIFE Programme National Contact Points visited Fundación Laboral de la Construcción to learn first-hand about the organisation’s experience in developing European initiatives to boost worker qualification in the construction sector.

In this regard, since 2011, Fundación Laboral has led the implementation of the BUILD UP Skills initiative in Spain, overseeing five projects aimed at increasing the number of trained and qualified construction professionals ready to meet Europe’s energy transition challenges. Currently underway is the ‘Construye 2030plus’ initiative, focused on promoting training and certification in micro-competences to support the ecological transition in the construction sector.

The meeting took place within the framework of the Portuguese delegation’s visit -composed of representatives from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the Climate Agency (ApC), the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG), the General Secretariat for Environment and Climate Action of the Azores (SRAAC), and a consultancy specialising in European projects, Desafio das Letras (DDL)– to Spain to review the outcomes of LIFE programme initiatives being implemented nationally.

During the day, the visitors toured the facilities of FLC training centre in Madrid, including the workshops where students put into practice the knowledge acquired in their technical training.