Luxembourg's construction sector is facing major challenges. Alongside a shortage of qualified workers, companies must also adapt to new technologies, digitalisation, and decarbonisation.
To secure the sector's training system in the long term, the non-profit Council for the Economic Development of the Construction Sector (CDEC) is now being transformed into the BAU foundation.
Training, continuing education, digitalisation, and efforts to address the shortage of qualified staff will remain central to its work. "Nothing really changes in terms of day-to-day operation", foundation president Roland Kuhn said during the presentation in the industrial zone in Bettembourg.
The aim, he explained, is to "secure everything we have built for the future". Turning the organisation into a foundation ensures that the training centre can continue to exist for decades to come and cannot simply be dissolved, Kuhn said.
The project dates back to 2000, when the sector, together with trade unions, decided to invest in continuing education in order to strengthen the competitiveness of Luxembourg companies. The Sectoral Training Institute for Construction (IFSB) was founded in 2002 and has been based at its current site in Bettembourg since 2007.
According to IFSB figures, around 100,000 people will have taken part in continuing training at the institute by the end of 2025, amounting to 1.75 million hours of training.
Beyond traditional continuing education, the BAU foundation also intends to keep working on the challenges facing the sector in the years ahead.
According to vice-president Christophe Thiry, three priorities will be at the heart of its work: making the sector more attractive to young people, developing employees' skills, and supporting companies on issues such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and decarbonisation.
Training is also intended to help counter the shortage of qualified workers. In addition to employees already working in the sector, career changers and people looking for work through ADEM will also be prepared for jobs in construction, Thiry said.
As with its mission, the foundation's funding will remain the same as it was under the non-profit structure. The sector finances training through a contribution equivalent to 0.65% of gross payroll, while the training centre will also continue to receive state support.
