In February IGBC hosted a consultation workshop aimed at gathering insights from 55 representatives from government and industry professionals in relation to the inclusion of ‘training clauses’ in public procurement contracts as part of IGBC’s Building a Low Carbon, Climate Resilient Future or Busleague project.
There are 145, 500 construction workers in Ireland many of whom need new training to support the drive for energy efficiency in buildings and to meet our 2030 and 2050 Climate targets. By including training clauses in public procurement, contracted companies will require their staff to train and upskill in new areas of energy efficiency, low carbon buildings, nZEB design and renewables installation etc…. These are the very skills that are needed to deliver on Ireland’s housing (.5m) and renovation (.5m) strategies. During the February workshop presentations were made on the dos and don’ts of Green Public Procurement (GPP) by legal firm Philip Lee and on the use of training clauses in public procurement in France. Feedback suggested that there is positivity amongst industry professionals about the move to integrate Energy Efficiency (EE) training requirements into GPP. This is seen as both necessary and timely. An audience poll at the event revealed that gaps in knowledge (45%), technical training (64%), awareness (62%) and skills in the implementation of training clauses (43%) in the public sector, were of the most concern. The participants recommended that training programmes should be easy, accessible and affordable, with blended learning (remote and on site in mobile units) as the preferred format.
As follow up to the workshop IGBC is now establishing a Working Group on Training Clauses in Green Public Procurement to develop pilots that can be tested in the public sector. If you are interested in shaping the inclusion of training clauses in Irish public procurement practice and would like to be part of the Working Group, please contact Deirdre Joyce: [email protected] for further information. Please place ‘WG GPP Training Clause’ in the subject line of your email.
