In the west of Ireland, in a further education college in Sligo, something quietly significant is happening. A Level 5 course in Construction Technology with Renewable Energy is preparing learners: mature students, career changers, people returning to education, for a construction sector that is greener, more technical and more open than it has ever been before.
What makes this course interesting from a WEC perspective isn’t just what it teaches. It’s the gaps it has identified in its own design, and the honest, practical process underway to address them.
The QQI Level 5 Major Award in Construction Technology (5M5010), offered at Ballinode Campus in Sligo, is a broad and practically grounded programme.
Graduates progress to higher education with pathways to ATU Sligo, ATU Letterkenny and ATU Galway, or enter the workforce directly with industry-relevant, QQI-accredited qualifications.
What sets this course apart from a standard construction programme is the integration of renewable energy throughout the curriculum. The Renewable Energy Systems module (QQI 5N4975) is a core strand that connects sustainable construction practice to the realities of Ireland’s energy transition.
Learners study the full spectrum of renewable technologies and their real-world application in the built environment. They analyse cost-benefit and payback periods. They examine carbon emissions comparisons. They explore passive house design principles. And they do this alongside the practical, hands-on construction skills that form the backbone of the programme.
“The construction sector’s move toward net-zero building requires people who understand both how to build and why sustainable choices matter. This type of programmes is designed to produce exactly that kind of graduate.”
– WEC Interview participant, Ireland
One of the things the Irish WEC partner team has done well, and that makes this a genuine best practice story, is its honest assessment of where the curriculum falls short in its approach to gender inclusion and accessibility.
These gaps reflect challenges found in construction and VET programmes across Europe. What is noteworthy is the willingness to name them, document them, and use the WEC project as an opportunity to develop concrete responses.
The Sligo course is one example of what WEC believes is possible across all partner countries: a construction and VET sector that actively designs its programmes to welcome and support women, rather than hoping inclusion will happen by accident.
The approach “to audit what you have, name the gaps honestly, make targeted improvements using evidence-based tools” is replicable. It doesn’t require a wholesale redesign of existing programmes. It requires intentionality, the right framework, and a willingness to look honestly at what currently exists.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
