On the World Water Day, 22nd of March 2018, the WATTer Skills Project – Water Efficiency and Water-Energy Nexus in Building Construction and Retrofit, launched its website. WATTer Skills is a European project, funded within the ERASMUS+ programme.
WATTer Skills aims to develop, implement and propose a common curriculum, qualification framework and accreditation scheme at the European level, for training and skills upgrading of construction and green professionals on water efficiency and water energy nexus for building construction and retrofit.
Starting on the 1st of September 2017 and lasting for 36 months, the project is launching its online Portal, which will be a repository of information, training and skills upgrading of professionals developing activities in the fields of water efficiency and water energy nexus for building construction and retrofit.
For the water technicians and experts, WATTer Skills will provide better advice, design and installation of water solutions that maximize combined water and energy efficiency opportunities in buildings water systems and networks.
According to an analysis of the World Resources Institute supported by several European Studies, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Italy are among the European countries most likely to have extremely high or high-water stress by 2040, according to their expected ratio, higher than 80% and between 40 and 80%, of water withdrawals to supply vs available water resources. These countries already face drinking water shortages that will increase in a business as usual scenario, which leads to the need of different approaches on water use and water efficiency, already being addressed in the most recent EC efforts on this topic.
It is therefore critical for these countries to develop a common framework for upskilling and certificate competences in professional activities that may lead to relevant water savings, as it is the case for the building construction sector. This is the main goal of WATTer Skills, a joint initiative of 4 European countries (Portugal, Spain, Greece and Italy) towards a more sustainable future in the fields of Water Efficiency and Water-Energy Nexus for building construction and retrofit.
In each country, WATTer Skills has a National Advisory Group, which aims the validation of project outcomes, namely regarding the programmatic contents, pilot training courses and new proposals, as well as the qualification and accreditation of water efficiency professionals.
