On 23rd October 2023, the workshop on «Reskilling for the Green Transition» was held, as part the European project «BuildSkills Academy», funded by the Erasmus+ programme. The event was dedicated to the European Vocational Skills Week and was held at "OIKODOMOS" Vocational Education Center, gathering a diverse group of participants, from university students to practitioners.

The event was proved to be a resounding success, leaving attendees inspired and motivated. During the event, information was provided regarding the aim of the «BuildSkills Academy» project and role the three Cyprus organisations participating in the project [Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus Certification Company and KyklOIKOdromio]. Specifically, the construction sector, a major employer in Europe and Cyprus, has significant environmental, societal and economic impact and is identified as a priority for the twin transition (Green and Digital), towards a resource-efficient and competitive economy. The sector faces major challenges in attracting young and skilled workers as well as in re-skilling and upskilling of the active workforce. Knowledge gaps and evolving market needs towards transitional skills and competences emerge all over Europe, while the VET systems in the different MSs are slow in the introduction of these skills into their offerings. Additionally, the competence recognition frameworks remain fragmented in the member states with no mutual standard for certification of transitional skills. The Academy for transitional skills in the built environment (BuildSkills Academy) will respond to these needs and will support the skills ecosystems to drive the twin transition by developing a transnational cooperation platform of CoVEs, aiming to foster VET excellence for the construction sector.

Introduction to the project was followed by presentations regarding the human capital supply and demand forecasts in the Cypriot economy 2022-2032 (Stelios Mytides, Officer A', Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus (HRDA)), green skills arising from developments in certification (Anna Dionysiou, Standardization Officer, Civil Engineer), retraining needs in the construction sector (Yiannos Poumpouris, Director, Federation of Cyprus Building Contractors Associations (OSEOK)) and the possibility of developing skills under the Erasmus+ programme (Dr Stylianos Mavromoustakos, Director, Cyprus Foundation for the Management of European Lifelong Learning Programmes).

The project Academy for Transitional Skills in the Built Environment is co-funded by the European Union, ERASMUS+ Programme under Grant Agreement number: 101104419.