Education needs and upskilling opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

This project aims to develop an innovative educational framework to support the mass deployment of renewable energy systems and fill the educational gap for the creation of specialised human capital able to contribute to the green transition. The RES4CITY network aims to increase societal resilience by supporting energy transition through the development and wider deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) and fuel technologies (FT), allowing public and private stakeholders to find ways to acquire new competencies and to selfpromote new practices to their working environments and society. The network will co-create and promote an innovative educational framework based on 44 micro credentials mapped into 8 microprogrammes launched on BoostMySkills2 platform, and develop policy scenarios to ensure stronger uptake, while highlighting mapped best practices and lessons learned, and facilitating open innovation among 160 or more relevant stakeholders and end-users. This deliverable starts with an introduction that establishes the context and relation to other work packages (WPs). The methodology section outlines the approach taken in the study. Chapter 4 delves into the exploration of barriers to renewable energy adoption in urban areas, with subsections focusing on technical, social, and economic barriers, each accompanied by learning outcomes. Chapter 5 introduces a user-centred educational framework, explaining the rationale, objectives, and stakeholders involved. Chapter 6 describes the co-design process, detailing the methodology, public survey, interviews with various groups, and stakeholder engagement through hubs.

The report describes key findings gathered through qualitative research and stakeholder engagement at local, regional and international levels. For such purposes, participatory methods such as 14 interviews, 8 stakeholder meetings and 2 ideation workshops, as well as 3 surveys and desktop research, were implemented. The findings indicate educational and skill gaps considering the technical, social and economic barriers in the RES4CITY countries and urban areas and the ones covered through global reach. In addition, the findings also showcase that stakeholders' needs, ideas and opinions obtained through participatory methods match with the identified gaps collected through desktop research. Both the content and format of the educational framework are evaluated positively by all consulted stakeholders. The deliverable 3.4 was concluded and submitted in September 2023 by 3OC with the support of partners and UNISS, DTU and NUIM as the reviewers.