Leading Building Sector Stakeholders Announce Pact for Skills for Sustainable Facilities

IFMA EMEA, EU.BAC and REHVA Partner to Drive Continuous Improvement of Sustainability Skills and Knowledge Among Building Professionals

Three leading stakeholders in the built environment have come together to launch the Pact for Skills for Sustainable Facilities. IFMA EMEA, EU.BAC and REHVA have long championed the importance of upskilling the existing building workforce and effectively training the next generation of building professionals. Today’s announcement ensures that as the European Union continues to develop a text road map to achieve energy and sustainability goals, training for building operations and maintenance continues to be a priority.

Operations and maintenance account for more than 85 percent of a building’s cost over its useful life. It is during the operational phase of a building’s life cycle when energy savings are achieved and sustained. As demand for built environment efficiency evolves, so too does the skill set required to operate and optimize facilities and the systems that support them.

Managing Director of IFMA EMEA Lara Paemen said: “Continuing education has always been important to building sector professionals; but even more so now amid rapidly advancing technologies, elevated focus on occupant well-being and a global urgency to reduce buildings' environmental impact. Knowledge and skills requirements are expanding for all professionals who design, construct, manage and maintain the built environment. Ensuring the industries we represent have the training, resources and workforce necessary to meet increasing demands for sustainable operations takes a collaborative effort between organizations dedicated to achieving the same goals. The IFMA EMEA, EU.BAC and REHVA partnership enables a higher level of support to our professional communities.”

President of EU.BAC Hans Smid said: "We are proud to be part of this important initiative. By joining forces with IFMA EMEA and REHVA, we aim to drive the continuous improvement of skills and knowledge in the building sector. Skilled professionals are essential – without them, all the efforts set by the legislation will be useless, as the measures will not be implemented at the national level. We look forward to working with the European Institutions to make sure that there will soon be new policies and funding schemes that will effectively address the shortages of skilled professionals and invest in professional education, attracting new skills to strengthen European competitiveness and growth.”

President of REHVA, Cătălin Lungu said: “As one of the three pilars of the pact for skills, REHVA proudly joins IFMA EMEA and EU.BAC with the primary aim of bringing global attention for a better education and practical knowledge of our built environment professionals. We all, as nations or institutions, have environment quality targets, outside but also inside buildings. Few of them will be accomplished entirely without a highly skilled workforce. Efforts made will be less valuable and difficult to sustain unless part of the EU budget is allocated, in a socially fair manner, for trainings generating required skills for long-term sustainable growth, green and digital transition. REHVA, together with IFMA IMEA and EU.BAC, will endorse any EU or global initiative in this regard.”

The Pact for Skills for Sustainable Facilities will enhance:

1. Continuous improvement of skills and knowledge: The signatories commit to continuous learning and improving the skills and knowledge of sustainable operations professionals through ongoing education, certification and training.
2. Awareness about the role of building operations in achieving designs for performance.
3. Development of Pan-European resources to upskill professionals currently working in the building environment.

Learn about the European Commission’s Pact for Skills, one of the flagship actions of the European Skills Agenda, at pact-for-skills.ec.europa.eu/index_en.

About IFMA EMEA

Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, IFMA EMEA is dedicated to serving the needs of local chapters and regional members. Maintaining a strong connection with IFMA, its focus is on building strong FM communities by providing regional programs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with respect for the local differences. IFMA EMEA partners with industry-related stakeholders and associations in this region and will further develop our relations with the European Commission and relevant institutions to have impact on policy makers. Learn more at emea.ifma.org.

About REHVA

The Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning associations, founded in 1963, is an umbrella organization of 26 national professional societies representing over 120,000 HVAC designers, building services engineers, technicians, and experts. Representing the interest of its members at EU level and globally, REHVA provides one of the strongest platforms for international professional networking, and knowledge exchange pursuing the vision of improving health, comfort, safety and energy efficiency in all buildings and communities. REHVA follows EU policy developments of all these topics, having a significant impact on national and international strategic planning and research initiatives, as well as on the associated educational and training programmes. Visit rehva.eu.

About EU.BAC

European Building Automation and Controls Association is the European “go-to” association on building automation and controls. We represent manufacturers of building automation and control systems. Our Vision is a world where everyone lives in buildings that are smart, decarbonized and efficient. Visit eubac.org.