Build UP BSR – Promoting green entrepreneurship for SMEs

Summary
Summary of project
Partnership
the team
Action
making a change
Workpackages
to do
References
Sources and reports

While measures to increase energy efficiency are well placed in Nordic BSR countries and Germany, there is still a great need for action in the eastern part of the BSR. 40% of total energy consumption in these countries stems from buildings. Hence, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is a particularly pressing, but also promising issue.

To meet the EU Energy 2020 targets, major efforts are needed to improve the skills of building workers on EE and RES at all education levels (Build UP Skills – EU overview report 2013). The key players in carrying out energy efficiency and enery saving measures in buildings are SMEs. However, exactly this sector displays the main constraint in BSR countries:

• an insufficient number of companies involved in green economy;
• a general shortage of entrepreneurs, managers and skilled workers;
• a lack of significant know-how on EE and RES
• a lack of specialists to provide recognised expert advice.

Already today, most BSR countries are experiencing a shortage of entrepreneurs, managers and skilled workers in SMEs of different economic sectors. This development will intensify in the near future. By 2030, the number of people of up to 40 years of age in the labour force will decline by up to 25% compared to today. Studies clearly show the general lack of skilled workers and the wide skills and knowledge gap, especially regarding energy saving technologies.

Everybody is talking about renewable energies – but who is actually doing the job ?

The implications of this situation are already serious. Renovations of buildings stall due to lacking capacities. In the Baltic states, for example, the work performed at construction sites is steadily carried out by teams from neighbouring non-EU countries and is of very low quality or in Estonia every other employee of a construction company lacks professional training. In total, 40-50% of the building workforce requires up-skilling to reach the EU’s energy targets in 2020.

Given this, the project pursues three principal goals:

1. Elimination of existing bottlenecks in SMEs to implement measures increasing energy efficiency in buildings.
2. Strengthening of the capacity of chambers, public administrations and universities to promote energy efficiency and renewable energies.
3. Reduction of regional disparities in energy efficiency and strengthening of regional cooperation by establishing Skills Alliances Energy and cross-border cooperation in the BSR. This ensures the sustainable continuation of the developed and implemented measures on a broad basis in all BSR countries.

We are teaming up to make a change in the BSR

1.Hanse-Parlament, DE
2.Initiative Wohnungswirtschaft Osteuropa, DE
3.IBC Innovationsfabrikken, DK
4.Satakunnan ammattikorkeakoulu Oy, FIN
5.Dolnośląska Izba Rzemieślnicza we Wrocławiu, PL
6.Wojewodzki Fundusz Ochrony Srodowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej w Gdansku, PL
7.Izba Rzemieślnicza w Opolu, PL
8.Vilniaus Prekybos, Pramonės ir Amatų Rūmai, LT
9.Vilniaus Gedimino technikos universitetą, LT
10.Druskininkai, LT
11.Latvijas Tirdzniecības un rūpniecības kamera, LV
12.Latvijas Universitate, LV
13.Valmiera, LV
14.Eesti Kaubandus- ja Tööstuskod, EE
15.Eesti Maaülikool, EE
16.Tartu Regiooni Energiaagentuur, EE
17.St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, RU

Making a change with impact

The partnership will work on:

a) The sustainable operation of 4 transnational Skills Alliances Energy to secure regional cooperation between relevant actors, strengthening capacities to promote green entrepreneurship, up-skilling and recruitment.

b) Establish energy consultation centres at SME promoters, universities, and administrations in 4 countries.

c) Business models for green entrepreneurship developed with SMEs and implemented on a permanent basis by educational institutions to secure long-term impact.

d) 5 SME-specific training programs and a training for trainers – each tested, evaluated and permanently put into action.

e) Training to “Energy Service Manager” & “Specialist for Building Insulation”

f) Bachelor’s study course “Management & Technology – Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energies ” for future managers of SMEs.