Since 2011, the EU’s BUILD UP Skills initiative has supported projects strengthening the skills of energy efficiency professionals to deliver high-quality energy renovations and new buildings complying with EU energy performance standards 

To increase skills, clear strategies based on identified gaps are needed: national backed up by the relevant national stakeholders and identifying funding sources for implementation. BUILD UP Skills projects supported the establishment of national skills with key players, such as education and training providers, companies and professional chambers from the construction and renovation value chains, public authorities, energy agencies, trade unions. 

In a first phase (2011-2013), BUILD UP Skills supported 30 countries, including all EU Member States, which developed their national platform and roadmap.

More recently (2024-2025), thanks to funding from the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme,national stakeholders in 15 Member States seized the opportunity to expand their platform and update their national roadmap in order to identify and bridge the workforce and skill gaps in line with the EU Green Deal, the Renovation Wave Strategy, and the 2030 EU’s climate objectives. More than 6000 organisations were consulted as part of this process. As a result, clear based on detailed sectoral analysis are now available for implementation and upscaling at national level, addressing the necessary skills.

To sustain this momentum, the includes a topic aiming to improve awareness and cooperation between key public and private stakeholders at national level, roll out the needed upskilling and reskilling actions, and carry out a large-scale national communication and awareness raising campaign to attract more people to energy efficiency professions. In practice, the topic is supporting the implementation of the skills roadmap in eligible countries where a national platform already exists, as well as the rebooting of the national platform in other eligible countries. 

Successful proposals will be supported with a 95% co-funding rate. The call is closing on 23 September 2025, 17:00 (CEST). Applications should be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tender opportunities portal. The full topic texts and specific call conditions are presented in the Call Document. 

Launched in 2011, the aims to increase the number of skilled professionals along the construction and renovation value chains. BUILD UP Skills has also engaged public authorities, building owners and tenants, to create awareness about the importance of a skilled workforce. 

BUILD UP Skills focusses on piloting new approaches that can contribute to unlock the skills challenge in the building value chain, rather than on large-scale training interventions. Results are available for large scale roll-out at national level.

Currently funded through the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme, the initiative has already supported more than 100 projects, with more than 50 000 professionals taking part in pilot trainings