Description project
The specialized craft of installing, maintaining, and optimizing heat pumps demands extensive knowledge and skills to attain peak performance and guarantee the system’s reliability. With a shortfall of over 500,000 skilled craftsmen in Europe's heat pump sector, the primary goal of the HeatCraftHP project is to identify the skill set crucial for proficient heat pump installation and troubleshooting. This involves:
- Mapping the essential skills for the heat pump installation and maintenance
- Identifying skills gaps for current and potential future workforce groups with a specific focus on female workers
- Develop tailored programs for up- and re-skilling to effectively bridge these gaps.
For effective up- and reskilling, we will develop a comprehensive and tailored program where learning activities are integrated into daily work activities. This workplace learning curriculum will seamlessly blend succinct theoretical elements with immediate practical applications, fostering learning transfer. By integrating interactive game-based learning elements, such as a heat pump simulator, a troubleshooting simulator, and a system integration tool, our objective is to equip craftsmen as well as craftswomen with fundamental knowledge and skills essential for designing and integrating heat pumps into existing heating systems. Based on this, the current project aims to design the situated, sequenced, and adaptive workplace curriculum for heat pump installers through an iterative and user-centered process guided by an educational design research (EDR) trajectory. Ultimately, this user-centered, research-informed approach will not only grow the future workforce but also enhance the operational quality and long-term sustainability of heat pump systems across Europe.
Expected outcomes
This project aims to co-design and evaluate a workplace learning curriculum for heat pump installers. This curriculum will be one of the core outputs and will integrate learning directly into daily work practices through formal and informal learning activities. Additional deliverables include a Certifications and Competencies Matrix, a Skills Gaps and Training Needs Analysis, and the development of training materials, such as an online course, game-based learning tools, and a Train-the-Trainer program. Together, these outputs aim to enhance the up- and re-skilling of the installers in the heat pump sector, addressing critical workforce shortages and improving system performance across Europe.
involved researchers
Duration of the project
October 2024 – September 2027
Funding & partners
This project is funded by the EU Life Program (LIFE23-CET-HEATCRAFTHP)
Partners: University of Twente (NL, Coordinator), European Heat Pump Association (BE), WIP Renewable Energies (DE), OHKW Klimajobs (DE), RWTH Aachen University (DE), Centraal Register Techniek (NL), IT:U Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria (AT)
External project website & LinkedIn
- Click here for the project website (this is the EU project website; the official one is still under development)
Publications related to this project
- Publication 1
- Publication 2
- Tool 1
- Also include poster or paper presentations