TECoNaut, the European project to facilitate skills for the green transition in the nautical industry, gets underway
Brussels, 5 April 2024 – The European recreational boating is on the road to sustainability, a process in which manufacturers face two major challenges: the use of more sustainable composite materials and the need to recruit and train qualified professionals for the implementation of these materials.
TECoNaut, a large-scale EU funded project aims to promote the use of sustainable composite materials in the nautical industry developed with cutting-edge technology, driving the race towards the ecological transition and the employment opportunities offered by sustainable boat building..
The project, funded by the European Union, will be implemented over three years by a consortium1 made up of industry associations, institutions, academics and SMEs from seven countries: Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Greece and Turkey.
To meet this key challenge and provide tools for manufactures across the industry, the TecoNaut project will follow a strategy based on four objectives that correspond to four axes of work:
1. Comprehensive identification of skills gaps, aligned with the multilingual European classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations
- Development of a course for Vocational Training on sustainable composite materials
Design of an internship programme for higher education students who will work on the application of Deep Tech skills and sustainable materials in companies.
4. To awaken the entrepreneurial mindset of students and future workers in the sustainable boat building
“As an Industry we want to focus on reducing the environmental impact across the life-cycle of the boats” says Philip Easthill, Secretary-General of EBI. “Using more sustainable composites materials is an essential element of our industry. We are excited to be part of the TECoNaut project to create the skills our industry needs. We are delighted that, together with our partners, we were able to attain EU funding for a key industry priority.”
