DIAGNOSIS Innovating a crucial profession in building and construction sector Erasmus Project

Project Title

DIAGNOSIS Innovating a crucial profession in building and construction sector

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Quality and Relevance of Higher Education in Partner Countries

Project Summary

CONTEXT AND PRIORITIES
The construction and building sector in Europe is one of the sectors that suffered most from the economic crisis in recent years and where, for many reasons, innovation and skills improvement is difficult to develop. One of the fields that is most likely to develop in the coming years is the rehabilitation and energy efficiency improvement of the built stock, as driving of green economic activity, circular economy and job creation. This requires improvements and innovation both at the level of university and professional training and in the sector’s competences.

One of the key points of any rehabilitation process is to have a good diagnosis of the state of the building and detect its capacity to offer the performance of XXI century. That is why an important need in this sector is related to the lack of a specific professional profile as an expert in building diagnosis. An expert who can talk with the owners of the existing buildings and at the same time they can be an interlocutor with the expert construction and building professionals. This new expert must use innovative technologies for analysis of buildings, identify and define the necessary interventions for the proper activity in the building once rehabilitated, in aspects as energy efficiency, comfort, structural safety and others. Likewise, this expert must develop his social, communication and technical skills to be able to inform and guide the owners of the buildings in the management of the interventions.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
Develop improvements and innovate in university training and in the construction and building sector to facilitate rehabilitation works by performing the diagnosis of buildings with innovative technological tools for inspection and evaluation.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES FOLLOWING NEEDS
– Define a new professional profile for the construction and building sector as an expert in building diagnosis
– Update and innovate existing training programs related to updated tools, technologies and methodologies for the evaluation and diagnosis of buildings
– Improve the effectiveness of training in the use of updated tools, technologies and methodologies for the evaluation and diagnosis of buildings.
– Increase the use of innovative technologies, in an integrated way, with a focus on working in multidisciplinary teams and personal development.
– Increase cooperation between educational institutions and companies in the EU to implement practical training and improve employability.

PARTICIPANTS
For the development of the Project, a Consortium formed by seven partners belonging to four European countries was established. Three universities contributed their academic capacity and experience, while four professional organizations contributed their practical knowledge of the reality and needs of the sector.

INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS developed:
O1. Comparative research publication “Expert in Building Diagnosis. A new professional profile for the building and construction sector in Europe”.
O2. Development of a new professional qualification in the construction and building sector for Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Poland, as for all Europe.
O3. Design of the pedagogical methodology and innovative training programs for students from universities and VET centres. Testing of the Programs in three EU countries.
O4. Activation of 105 Education-Company agreements, on the new professional profile of Expert in building diagnosis, for the dissemination of the new profile and the practical training of the same.

TRAINING ACTIVITIES developed:
– Three short courses aimed at project partners where they learned and discussed the development of the curriculum and training methodologies, with 32 participants.
– Three short-term courses where teachers were trained, with the participation of 84 teachers who learned about the new Training Programs for “Building Diagnostics Experts” and contributed to its improvement.
– Three multiplier events to test the developed Programs, looking for different profiles in each of the three countries. 70 students and professionals participated, who underwent the pilot training course for “Building Diagnostics Experts”.

RESULTS AND IMPACTS achieved:
– Tangible, innovative and valuable intellectual products, open to the entire university and training community, and freely accessible to all stakeholders concerned.
– Training of a good number of participants in the different training activities
– A wide dissemination of the results among administrations, professional entities, companies and experts for the implementation of the new professional profile.

All Project results are freely accessible on the Project websites: http://www.erasmus-diagnosis.eu/ and http://www.rehabimed.net

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 239138 Eur

Project Coordinator

Asociación Rehabimed & Country: ES

Project Partners

• POLITECHNIKA WARSZAWSKA
• AEEBC Ltd
• Polskie Stowarzyszenie Menedzerów Budownictwa
• UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FERRARA
• CENTOFORM SRL