Targeted educational services get us up to speed for a sustainable energy transition
Climate change and CO2 emissions, strongly related to the combustion of fossil fuels, are having a detrimental impact on economies around the globe. In response, the EU has developed challenging climate and energy targets and is on track to meet its 2020 goals while targeting climate neutrality by 2050. Supporting this endeavour, the EU-funded ASSET project has developed multidisciplinary courses and tools integrating technology with societal dimensions and business-entrepreneurial competencies, all related to the energy transition. There is something for everyone, from citizens and professionals to businesses and policymakers.
A steep learning curve accelerates progress
To identify the skills required and the existing gaps and mismatches, ASSET began by creating a sustainable ecosystem of energy transition and education stakeholders. This community includes representatives of the social sciences and humanities, something that is rare in technology-driven energy transition initiatives. Based on the fruitful multi- and interdisciplinary dialogue and outcomes, the team developed a wealth of innovation and educational services to get us all up to speed in supporting the EU’s energy transition. ASSET targeted two main markets, massive open online courses (MOOCs) and renewable energy sector employees. Project coordinator Sara Diez Mínguez of Atos Spain explains: “ASSET offers educational programmes including video lessons, readings, assessments and discussion forums for in-person, online and blended learning. We have developed two tools to bring industry and academia together and numerous MOOCs that serve these and other target groups in tailored ways.” ASSET’s Marketplace tool provides a platform for academia and industry to interact directly, ensuring prompt attention of academia to industry needs. The Learning Graph tool helps academia quickly and easily develop and update courses for students, researchers and engineers. Finally, ASSET’s freely accessible MOOCs include topics from renewable energy technologies and microgrids for energy control and management to behavioural change to minimise energy consumption and green professionalism and ethics.
A holistic value proposition
ASSET helps universities, research centres and training entities to accelerate programme creation and share materials integrating technological, societal and entrepreneurial facets of the latest energy-relevant topics. For companies in the energy sector, it provides a direct link to universities and training centres to quickly upskill personnel in technological, innovation and business subjects. Taken together, ASSET programmes help students and employees acquire the latest energy-related competences in high demand. The benefits do not stop with industry and academia thanks to the unique inclusion of a societal component in the energy equation. ASSET also targets governmental authorities, societal actors such as NGOs and individual citizens. Diez elaborates: “ASSET helps policymakers, energy authorities, administrative bodies and regulators reach the public through university courses focused on behaviours and their societal impacts. Private organisations, professional associations and citizens can enhance their competencies, energy awareness and understanding of the socioeconomic impacts of individual and collective actions.” Check out ASSET’s video explaining the benefits for policymakers and industry. Join the ASSET community today; you will enhance your competitiveness while supporting the EU as it tackles one of the greatest challenges of our time.
Keywords
ASSET, energy, energy transition, courses, educational, MOOCs, renewable energy, social sciences and humanities, multidisciplinary, upskill