An education and training program for energy managers in Slovenia - Current status, lessons learned and future challenges

This paper presents Slovenian experiences related to a customized educational solution called EUREM (European Energy Manager) involving the training of energy experts in the field of energy efficiency. The EUREM training program is offered in 27 countries around the world and covers nearly all the energy relevant issues that can arise in public and private companies. The final output of the practical training is a company-specific prefeasibility study that deals with energy weak points and energy efficiency measures that have a high implementation potential. The presented curriculum of the EUREM training program provides a solid basis for increasing the knowledge and skills of energy managers and was developed with an emphasis on practical experiences related to the deployment, demonstration, measurement and verification of energy-efficient solutions in industry and buildings. Regular surveys and communications involving former training participants indicate that the EUREM training program has stimulated Slovenian energy managers to make significant energy savings in their companies. Around 55% of the Slovenian EUREM training participants confirmed that in addition to their energy concepts, they had also realized additional energy efficiency projects after they finished the training course. Based on the experience gained during the past 8 years of the training program's implementation in Slovenia we can conclude that the energy experts really appreciated their practical education and training with on-the-job support from professional coaches. The future challenges of the education and training program are related to follow-up activities, the development of interactive tools and the curriculum's customization to meet the constantly growing needs of energy experts from industry. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.