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, identifying skills gaps for current and potential future workforce groups and develop programs for up- and reskilling to bridge these gaps effectively.
For effective up- and reskilling, the project will develop a comprehensive and tailored program where learning activities are integrated in 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, troubleshooting simulator, and system integration tool, our objective is to equip craftsmen as well as craftwomen with fundamental knowledge and skills essential for designing and integrating heat pumps into existing heating systems. This integration in and troubleshooting of hybrid systems is the challenge that will prevent or promote effectivity of heat pumps and their large scale adoption of heat pumps and hence is in focus of our workplace learning curriculum with its materials and tools. Our approach not only seeks to elevate future workforce groups’ existing knowledge and skills but also ensures that future heat pump installations benefit from both, enhanced reliability and superior performance. The overarching objective of the initiative is to address the escalating educational needs of craftsmen in the heat pump sector, ultimately advancing the efficiency and effectiveness of these crucial systems throughout Europe.