National energy-efficiency education needed for built environment

To help Australia reach its carbon reduction targets, developing a coordinated national built environment education platform; bridging gaps between research, training and policy; developing an industry coordinated approach to training incentives; and preparing a future building workforce are four key recommendations made in new research published today (10 October) by the CRC for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL).

Entitled ‘Policy impediments and incentives for effective education and training’, the research analysed current building industry continuing professional development (CPD) sustainability and energy-efficiency education programs, CPD policy incentives and impediments, and international policy and interviewed industry leaders and researchers.

The research found that there are more impediments than incentives to Australian education policies for sustainability, energy efficiency and low carbon living for trades and professionals working in the built environment.

CRCLCL Research Node Leader Professor Peter Graham of Swinburne University said that incentives only embraced professional standing and risk minimisation but the impediments included a lack of government leadership and adequate long-term policy; limited research cooperation, communication and implementation of findings; deficits in CPD policy and program synchronicity; and inadequate industry engagement in CPD, with limited mutual recognition and human capital adaption.

“Overall there are minimal if any legislative or professional requirements to engage in CPD, and almost none relating specifically to sustainability, energy efficiency or carbon minimisation upskilling programs. Australia lacks a government-legislated or voluntary built environment council with the proper resources to lead and implement CPD policy or programs through industry and government collaboration,” said Professor Graham.

Report author and researcher Tomi Winfree explained that ultimately knowledge and skills across the supply chain need to be integrated for consistent practices to emerge between various job roles.

“Similar to measure 25 in the COAG Energy Council’s National Energy Productivity Plan 2015–2030, we recommend that built environment experts from government, industry, research and educational institutions collaboratively identify the knowledge and skills required to foster a low-carbon built environment,” she said.

“The knowledge and skills need to be specific to each identified role within the supply chain, being planning, design, engineering, construction and facilities management, as an integrated overarching industry framework. The framework should be promoted nationally as a tool to facilitate a consistent industry-wide approach and used to review vocational, tertiary and CPD education programs to identify and eliminate the gaps and inconsistencies in current policies and programs.

“Trades and professionals need evidence-based knowledge available on the job, in a format that can foster skills development and integration into practice,” said Winfree.

Report author, researcher and labour market economist Dr Alexis Esposto argues that in order to maintain and improve our national and international competitiveness in the built environment, our labour force needs to match the skills requirements to the industry challenges.