Eco-build Kempen launched: sustainable construction sector gets boost thanks to new training infrastructure

Today at Kamp C, the starting shot will be fired for Eco-build Kempen, an innovative project aimed at strengthening green skills in the construction and installation sector. With European, Flemish and provincial support, Kamp C and Thomas More Hogeschool are investing more than 2.3 million euros that will create advanced training infrastructure. This infrastructure focuses specifically on green skills needs in the construction sector.

The kick-off meeting at Kamp C today brought together various stakeholders to discuss the details of the new training facilities. The focus is on the green transition in construction, with specific attention to circular and bio-based materials and the energy transition. During workshops, needs, opportunities and cooperation possibilities were further explored.

The project lays the foundations for a powerful Kempen learning ecosystem. Eco-build Kempen is an important step towards a sustainable future for the construction sector. With this project, we want to close the gap between the labour market and technological progress by training young people and professionals in the green technologies of the future.

With Eco-build Kempen, we are creating an innovative cluster where knowledge institutions, companies and governments work together. It not only strengthens the local economy, but also makes our region future-proof with more STEM-oriented education.

The project includes a mobile STEM experience space - the revamped Techno Trailer - which enthuses young teenagers about STEM and sustainable construction and installation techniques. Together with the stakeholders present, the workshop explored how to enthuse the target group of young teenagers early and thus address the shortage of skilled workers in the construction and installation sector.

During two other workshops, needs and opportunities for the training infrastructure to be realised were further discussed, specifically aimed at, on the one hand, the energy transition (Thomas More campus Geel) and, on the other, the circular bio-based materials transition (Kamp C) . Both themes are crucial not only for the economic development of the Kempen region and province of Antwerp, but also for the future of the construction and installation sector throughout Flanders.

Eco-build Kempen is a learning ecosystem that brings together knowledge institutions, businesses and other societal actors to accelerate the transition to a circular and sustainable building sector. With European, Flemish and provincial support, the project provides the necessary training infrastructure to strengthen skills essential for the green transition in the built environment.