Training for change. Build trust and upgrade competence for the trainers in ecological building Erasmus Project

Project Title

Training for change. Build trust and upgrade competence for the trainers in ecological building

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Pedagogy and didactics; Energy and resources

Project Summary

Since 2002, several European projects have worked towards providing vocational development and mobility opportunities for eco-building learners, trainers and crafts people. With growing demand for natural building technologies, there is a need for skilled craftspeople, short and long certified training offers and for specialised trainers. The consortium identified 3 major challenges for training centres and specialised ecological building trainers need:
– To strengthen a common identity,
– To be introduced to the resources and European level networking,
– To develop their confidence and skills through cooperation that allows good practices to spread.

The federation Ecoconstruire has invited national associations (RFCP and AsTerre – France ; ASBN – Austria ; ArTUR – Slovakia ; EBUKI – UK and Ireland ; BiWeNa – Germany) that work with craftspeople who act as vocational trainers offering comprehensive training in eco-construction in their country. Those organisations have developed European competence standards and experienced mobilities. Another partner, Johannesdalsinitiativet – Sweden, has been chosen for the unique elements and innovative activities they developed with their work on people’s awareness of values other than materialism: change, play and trust
Change is a major motivator driving designers, builders and customers of eco-construction which should be explicitly included in the learning process, giving a strong identity to the whole European eco-construction network.

Each country hosted a transnational meeting with a coordination day and then workshops (6 meetings with 31 people), organized dissemination events (9 – with a total of 352 participants from outside the consortium) and sent trainers to test training (12 trainers-trainees and 15 trainers). 15 redaction groups were active through more than 120 online meetings and 36 monthly coordination meetings.
We created a training for trainers and produced more than we promised:
– we wanted to create 4 units but finally 8 units of learning outcomes have been finalized as the basis of the competence and training standard for trainers at level 5
– the toolbox originally announced with 6 media (3 session plans and 3 teaching materials) has been expanded to 45 session plans, 1 film, powerpoint presentation and more than 50 teaching materials. Those tools have been improved or created, and tested in an innovative, participative and experiential process to create a paradigm shift that takes into account non-technical and non-material aspects, consciousness and change.
– the charter we were to create was recomposed into a manifesto and a MoU.
– a website to disseminate all the results of the project: www.trainingforchange.eu/

The impact and longer-term benefits are:
– To give eco-construction training centres a basis for selection, training and induction of their teaching staff
– To facilitate introducing eco-building when eco-building trainers or training centres co-operate with conventional training providers
– To consolidate confidence and a MoU as basis for concerted national and European development of our networks and for transnational mobility of learners and trainers.
– To support ongoing national certification strategies for ecological building techniques
– To provide our network with a shared culture of pedagogical tools and practices
– To raise awareness about European cooperation
– To add value and support the implementation of existing resources.
– To enable our organizations to reach audiences further away from the ecologist, as educators eager to learn more about eco-construction, ECVET and mobility and to help adults develop their confidence through play and creative activities in order to contribute to a positive social change.
– To enable training providers and funders to respond effectively to learners’ demand for training in sustainable development
– to increase the offer of certified short and long training in eco-construction at levels 3 and 4.
– More collaboration between partner organisations.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 381124 Eur

Project Coordinator

Fédération Ecoconstruire & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Earth Building UK and Ireland Ltd
• asbn – austrian strawbale network
• Stiftelsen Johannesdalsinitiativet
• RFCP reseau francais de la construction en paille
• ASSOCIATION NATIONALE DES PROFESSIONNELS DE LA TERRE CRUE
• Bildungswerkstatt Nachhaltigkeit e.V.
• ArTUR