Final GSS-VET Conference concludes successfully in Athens

A two days meeting (13-14/2/2020) with the participation of interested stakeholders took place in Athens, as the GSS-VET project comes to its final stage.

Following the identification of skills needs, the scope of the GSS-VET project is to create an innovative training including work-based learning, ubiquitous learning and flipped classroom for geothermal and for solar energy system installers (EQF level 4-5). The training content is focused on technical skills but also on transversal ones, including interdisciplinary skills and ability to work effectively with people from other disciplines.

For the above an e-Learning Platform has been designed with corresponding digitalized contents. In the pilot phase which is currently running, dozens of trainers and hundreds of workers are trained, and thanks to the involvement of VET providers, sectorial organizations (including an EU umbrella), regional authorities and other associated partners, 2,500 workers will be trained by 2025.

During the first day of the Consortium meeting, there was an intensive programme including presentations about the market status and outlook as well as the training needs of the three markets covered by the project, i.e. Solar Thermal, Geothermal, and Photovoltaics. Two senior experts from the Greek Center for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (CRES), namely Dr. Charalampos Malamatenios and Dr. Constantine Karytsas have given valuable insights for the two first markets respectively, while HELAPCO, a partner of the GSS project, has analysed the situation and trends of the PV market.

The agenda included presentations of the training material for all three technologies, a detailed presentation of the project e-platform and the Certification scheme for trainees, and concluded with a discussion on how training will continue after the end of the project. Following the current pilot phase of training, the e-platform will be open to anybody wanting to follow the courses online and be certified according to the standards set by the project.

The event was attended by various stakeholders including experts, academics from Greek Universities, people working in renewable energy markets, and/or energy providers, as well as representatives of environmental organisations and journalists.

More information about the project, as well as the presentations on RES markets status and outlook can be found at: http://gss-vet.eu/