Construction has enormous potential for reducing emissions and the use of natural resources, but it requires the development of expertise. The construction industry compiled basic information about ways to promote a low-carbon circular economy into online training. Training funded by Sitra will now be widely available to construction industry students and those working in the field.
Buildings and construction cause more than a third of all greenhouse gas emissions in Finland. About half of the consumption of natural resources and almost a third of waste is related to construction.
The circular economy offers the construction industry significant means to curb the climate crisis and prevent the loss of nature. For example, reuse and recycling of building materials save natural resources and reduce emissions and waste generated in the manufacture of new products.
Construction and circular economy RAKI training examines emissions caused by the built environment as well as other environmental impacts and methods to reduce them. The online training, which utilizes playfulness and interactivity, demonstrates in a practical way what the circular economy means in construction.
A comprehensive and illustrative training package was born from the wishes of companies
The training covers, among other things, current and future legislation, various control methods and meters, choices made during the construction phase, and ways to influence a building's energy use at different stages of its life cycle. The training aims to illustrate the effectiveness of different goals and actions and the interdependencies between them.
"RAKI training was born out of the wish of companies in the construction industry and the concern that there is no comprehensive, concrete circular economy training in the field. Knowledge and training have been scattered, and the sector's circular economy know-how is just developing," says the principal Heidi Husari from the Construction Industry Training Center RATEKO, which implemented the training.
The training is aimed primarily at vocational education degree students and teachers in the building construction industry, but it can be completed free of charge by anyone who is a construction professional or interested in the subject. The duration of the training is about 2,5 hours, and you get a certificate for the completion.
"Finland's goal is to be a carbon-neutral circular economy society by 2035. It requires a strong contribution from the real estate and construction sector. When students in the field receive a circular economy information package, they adopt the thinking and operating methods of sustainable construction even before they graduate and quickly put new working methods into practice," says Husari.
The RAKI training is one of the four circular economy training pilots funded by Sitra. In planning, RATEKO collaborated with Rakennusteollisuus RT's member companies, the Ministry of the Environment and other operators in the construction industry. The training uses the electronic learning environment Priima.
RATEKO has also developed several other online training courses to increase professional expertise in the construction industry: eIntroduction for occupational safety issues, eKosteus for moisture management, eKierrätys for recycling construction waste on construction sites and eTeline for rack installation.
More information
Ulla-Mari Pasala, training coordinator, tel. 0400 956 557
Heidi Husari, principal, tel. 040 831 2829
Emails firstname.surname@rateko.fi
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