Fifteen Local Construction Workers Set Off To Sharpen Sustainable Skills In Germany

A second group of fifteen individuals from the construction industry are setting off for Germany for two weeks to improve their knowledge of sustainable construction methods, renewable energy and environmental standards.

Participants will be able to transfer the skills and knowledge gained to the Northern Ireland construction industry in order to meet local energy targets in the near future. The two-week programme is a comprehensive appraisal of current construction techniques applied in Germany, including ai tightness, thermal bridges, passive house projects and ventilation systems, with a focus on timber construction. Participants will also get a chance to put theory into practice by constructing workshop models of various junction details that are particularly relevant and key to achieving improved energy performance standards. The programme is being delivered by KOMZET (a Centre of Vocational Excellence in Timber Construction and Finishings). This innovative programme has already been well received with a previous participant commenting that the course was ‘one of the most worthwhile, informative and constructive courses in which I have participated’. Highlights of that recent trip included a visit to the Energon building in Ulm, a five-storey office built to Passive House standards. The skills and knowledge gained in sustainable construction methods will not only be utilised in the design and maintenance of properties but also in the retrofitting of existing housing stock to reduce energy consumption. In addition, the group will be able to transfer these skills to the wider construction supply chain in their daily dealings with suppliers, clients, designers and subcontractors, and also to apprentices and undergraduates through links to training and education. CITB-ConstructionSkills NI were successful in securing funding for the ‘Building Skills for Sustainable Construction’ project from the European Commission’s Leonardo programme which is managed by Ecorys in the UK. The group has already participated in language and cultural training over a period of four weeks and are looking forward to practising their new found skills in Biberach an der Riβ, Germany.