Green and Digital Skills for Smart District Heating and Cooling Networks

The DHC Academy is designed to address the growing need for skilled professionals in the European heating and cooling sector, which is critical for achieving decarbonisation goals and energy resilience. The sector faces significant skill gaps that hinder its growth and innovation, particularly in areas such as renewable energy technologies, digitalisation and sustainability. This initiative seeks to overcome the limitations of traditional, sector-specific training programmes by offering a comprehensive educational platform that integrates vocational and higher education curricula tailored to market demands.

The project will be built on an integrated approach combining vocational education and training (VET) with higher education (HE) to meet the diverse needs of students and professionals. The digital learning platform will leverage cross-sectoral expertise from across Europe, incorporating experiences from past EU-funded projects to develop curricula and programmes that align with current and future market needs. Furthermore, the DHC Academy will facilitate international collaboration through a European Alliance, engaging academic institutions, enterprises and research bodies.

Expected outcomes:

The DHC Academy aims to achieve three key outcomes:

• Development of an innovative and sustainable digital platform
  The creation of a cutting-edge DHC Academy platform that will deliver tailored vocational and higher education (VET and HE) programmes. This platform will be designed to adapt to evolving market needs, integrating the latest educational methodologies and EU tools to foster continuous learning and professional development.
• Establishment of a long-term collaborative alliance
  The formation of the European DHC Academy Alliance, a strategic partnership between universities, research institutes and industry leaders. This alliance will ensure the sustainability of the digital platform and facilitate cross-border collaboration, driving the exchange of knowledge and expertise across Europe’s heating and cooling sector.
• Design, testing and roll-out of education programmes
  The development and piloting of both VET and HE curricula focused on district heating and cooling (DHC) technologies. These programmes will address key skills gaps, with a focus on green technologies, digital innovation and sustainability. The programmes will be tested with an initial cohort of 400 higher education students and 200 professionals, ensuring the content aligns with the latest industry needs and prepares participants for future roles in the sector.

Through these efforts, the DHC Academy will not only bridge existing skills gaps but also contribute to the growth of a highly skilled workforce capable of supporting the decarbonisation and modernisation of Europe’s heating and cooling systems.

Quelle: https://www.euroheat.org/dhc/eu-projects/dhc-academy