DHC Academy

The EU remains heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, and a large share of the energy it consumes is used for heating. Recent geopolitical turbulence has further emphasised the need to increase energy independence. Investments in infrastructure to decarbonise heating and cooling are therefore expected to increase significantly in the coming years to respond to growing concerns related to energy security, cost of living, and climate change.

Political leaders across Europe are fully aware of the perils. The EU as well as individual countries have fixed very ambitious objectives for reducing dependency on importing fossil fuels. The strategy when it comes to heating is well defined and can be summarised in three words – Reduce, Reuse, and Replace.

Decarbonising heating involves investments at a scale unprecedented in the heating sector. Millions of components and systems must be manufactured, distributed and installed at an ever-increasing pace. This will require significant upscaling of the capability and capacity in the supply chain.

To achieve this, the industry must attract and train tens of thousands of young people. Every year. And we need to start immediately. This is also a great opportunity. For society in terms of job creation. And for individuals getting a chance to be part of the solution, not the problem.

Failing to bridge the gaps in the supply chain would create bottlenecks, increasing the costs and risks related to delivery of investment programmes, in turn delaying the decarbonisation process.

The DHC Academy is an international training initiative co-funded by the European Union and coordinated by Euroheat & Power. It is designed to address the growing need for skilled professionals in the European heating sector. It involves training institutions, operators, and supply chain partners from across Europe.

Heatnet Global is responsible for the development and implementation of vocational education and training courses to be delivered in cooperation with industry partners and local training institutions – schools, technical colleges and universities – across Europe.

Training activities will be coordinated and based on a standardised and shared course catalogue. The structure and content of the courses in this catalogue have been developed in close consultation with a broad range of industry representatives and training providers across Europe.

The DHC Academy is designed to address the growing need for skilled professionals in the European heating and cooling sector, which is critical for achieving the objectives related to decarbonisation and energy resilience. The sector faces significant professional and vocational skill gaps that hinder its growth and innovation, particularly in areas such as project management, commercial modelling, technical design, installation and operations.

The Academy, which is co-funded by the European Union, consists of a Higher Education platform and a Vocational Education and Training platform. Led by Euroheat & Power, the consortium involves Politecnico di Torino, HAWK University, Halmstad University, Lund University, Tallinn University of Technology, KU Leuven, Executy, Optit, RE2N, Daikin and Heatnet Global. Heatnet Global is responsible for the development and implementation of the Vocational Education and Training platform (WP4).

Heatnet Global has extensive experience in developing and delivering training courses in the DHC sector. Since the start in 2015, Heatnet Global, under the brand Heat Academy, has organised hundreds of training sessions across Europe, in Canada and in India. Training activities are run in person and online, and cover a broad range of topics, both technical and commercial.

The mission of the DHC Academy WP4 is to address the competence and capacity gaps in the sector by offering hands-on training and facilitating collaboration and sharing of best practice.

The training courses developed in the DHC Academy initiative are based on the structure, content and experience from the Heat Academy activities. The DHC Academy initiative provides opportunities to further develop and refine the scope of the courses, and to scale up the ability to deliver.

Training activities will be coordinated and based on a standardised and shared course catalogue. The structure and content of the courses have been developed in close consultation with a broad range of industry representatives and training providers across Europe.

The training modules provided by the DHC Academy follow a pre-designed and standardised approach and are based upon a collaborative model involving local colleges and universities, energy operators, public institutions and the supply chain. Technologies and processes applied in an investment programme are described in a highly structured step-by-step approach, with real-life examples for each area.

All instructors have long practical experience and a proven operational track record in the topics they teach, thereby bridging the gap between theory and practice. The training sessions also involve speakers from operators and suppliers, further emphasising the real-life operational approach. The ambition is to link training activities to concrete reference cases and ongoing projects, thereby making it more relevant and motivating.

Training is offered both as stand-alone master classes and as longer modularised courses involving multiple training sessions. Sessions will be delivered both online and in person. Recordings and presentations are shared through digital platforms.

A broad range of digital solutions are applied to facilitate training - e.g. video links, 3D modelling, simulation tools and virtual reality solutions.

DHC Academy is a highly results-driven and action-oriented training initiative focusing on the mission to rapidly implement sustainable energy solutions in practice. The aim is not to establish a platform for high-level theoretical and intellectual conversations. DHC Academy is all about action, completion and results. Getting things done in real life. Ice hockey, not figure skating.

An action- and results-oriented mindset is therefore a key requirement for all parties involved in the DHC Academy – partners, teachers and students alike. The objective is to develop the hands-on capability of implementing carbon reduction strategies.

An overall ambition for the DHC Academy is to facilitate collaboration. One way of achieving this is to establish a network of competence centres in different markets, thereby facilitating collection and exchange of best practice, as well as replication and shared investments in innovation.

To respond to the climate emergency and limit energy security risks, it is essential to speed up the implementation of solutions and systems. This will in turn generate new jobs, inward investments, economic growth and enhance social welfare. Going it alone is often very costly, risky and time-consuming when it comes to investing in major infrastructure projects. Collaboration is a must to reach the future in time.

Sharing investments in innovating and testing new technologies is increasingly important to keep costs down. Exchange of ideas and best practice, successes and failures has always been a winning approach, as has the ability to simplify, standardise and replicate best practice.