Cyprus energy agency: Education as a pillar for sustainability

The education of the general public in order to raise awareness, and the education of experts to develop their skills and eventually increase their efficiency have always been critical in addressing issues. The Cyprus Energy Agency is proud to participate in two European projects -the ‘Bricks of Skills’ as an associate partner, and ‘Yenesis’ as the lead partner-, that place education as a main pillar for sustainability.

The ‘Bricks of Skills’, on one hand, is a partnership project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, which aims at designing new learning pathways to revolutionize clean energy training in the construction sector. Soon, a 3-day “Train the Trainer” training will be held in France, following the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) standard.

The YENESIS, on the other hand, is a project funded by European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment, that aims at creating green jobs to minimize unemployment in islands, and through innovative training and educational programs, prepares young NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) for these jobs. The YENESIS project application period was open until Sunday November 10^th.

Both projects see the opportunities arising from the threat of climate change and educate specific people to address it.  The ‘Bricks of Skills’ bases its training on the ECVET standard, which recognizes the skills and qualifications of EU construction professionals and supports their mobility across Europe to help optimize their background; while ’Yenesis’ one comprises of educational courses on business innovation, energy efficiency, renewables, sustainable tourism, and mobility, a showcasing expedition on good practices in Norway, and similarly encourages an apprenticeship mobility scheme between the beneficiary countries.