Belfast Metropolitan College’s commitment to developing a new European digital method of training construction professionals is being showcased at the annual Building Expo at the RDS in Dublin on November 4th.
ARISE Programme Manager Paul Mc Cormack is set to chair a BIM (Building Information Modelling)/digitalisation breakfast briefing at the 2021 Architecture and Building Expo.
The event is held in conjunction with the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland Annual Conference. This year’s event will be the first European event platform to hear about the new Belfast Met led ARISE £1.12 million digital construction project that was launched in September 2021. ARISE aims to revolutionise the learning process by changing the face of delivery and recognition of sustainable energy skills in the construction sector.
At the breakfast briefing session Mr Mc Cormack will discuss the latest developments in digital construction learning with a panel that includes Dr Avril Behan, Construction Cluster Ireland Principal Investigator in the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment at Technological University Dublin, one of the 9 partners on the ARISE project.
The nine partners in the ARISE project are: Belfast Metropolitan College, Northern Ireland, Technological University Dublin, Ireland, Institute for Research in Environment, Civil Engineering and Energy, North Macedonia, ISSO, Netherlands, Conseil des Architectes D Europe, Brussels, IBIMI Institute for BIM, Italy, Building Changes, BV, Netherlands, Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, Denmark and Instituto Superior Technico, Portugal.
Looking forward to the event, Mr Mc Cormack said: “We are on a continual digitalisation journey with our 30 month ARISE project, building upon our previous BIMcert project and our work as part of the EU wide BIM Energy Performance Alliance (BIM-EPA). The Expo event gives us an opportunity to engage directly with architects and other building professionals and to gain valuable feedback.
“In order to deliver the sustainable energy skills that Construction requires to meet decarbonisation targets, the training methodology and skills exchange must change to meet need. We are looking to develop a digital centre of excellence in Ireland. ARISE will make that change happen.”
The training and transaction system developed by the ARISE project will reward learners as they achieve competence at a certain level with the crypto currency for skills exchange – CERTcoin – the innovative currency of skills and learning of the construction sector embracing today’s digital transformation benefits. This reward based on skills and time credits will be stored in an Individual Learning Account and can be used as digital points accumulation for example in a skills barometer or for exchanging it into valid certificates.
Dr Avril Behan, Technological University Dublin, said: “People represent one of the three pillars of TU Dublin’s strategic Intent, along with Planet and Partnership. The ARISE project will aide with our intent to foster Individual talents in our ever changing world. We believe In creative pathways for all as a way of preparing people to confidently tackle the challenges that the world faces, including around the sustainable construction and build environment development, In creative and balanced ways.”