PARTNERS

UNIONE PROVINCIALE ARTIGIANI - CONFARTIGIANATO PADOVA

Participant Name Centro regionale di Assistenza per la Cooperazione Artigiana, Società Cooperativa   Unione Provinciale Artigiani - Confartigianato Padova Università degli Studi di Padove - Dipartimento di Processi Chimicidell'Ingegneria GFE Energy Management SRL Chambers' Group for the Development of Greek Isles SC Chiminform Data SA MID Wales Energy Agency Ltd Narodowa Agencja Poszanowania Energii S.A. Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setubal Universidad de Valladolid Escan, S.A. Centre for Renewable Energy Sources Fundaciòn Cener-Ciemat (Renewable Energy National Center) Fundation Cartif Fundacion Asturiana de la Energia

Description of the organisation

The provincial Union of Artisans Entrepreneurs and Small and Enterprises, named U.P.A. – Confartigianato Padova, began its activities in Padova from May 19 th 1946. UPA, developed as local body, refers to Confartigianato system, the main category association at regional and national level.

UPA is an independent and autonomous trade-union association. Its main objective is to collect all associated artisans and to organise and promote artisan activities and small and medium enterprises (SME) of Padova province.

The UPA structure is constituted of a head office in Padua and 13 local districts (“Mandamenti”) spread over the whole provincial area.

An important UPA objective is to sustain, promote and support qualification, growth and competitiveness of artisans and SME in conformity with economical and social evolution lines, including energetic and environmental issues, developed in the present and future scenario of integrated competitiveness at European level.

UPA is interested in developing technical-professional skills and promoting social relations among its members with a strong presence on the territory:

• main objective in the social sphere is the development and improvement of social relationships and commitments among its members and between Union and other associations;
• in the technical ambit UPA aims to protect and support the technical, economical and artistic development of its members, through training, specific competences valuing, production and marketing promotion, assistance and consulting, promotion of cooperation and know-how sharing among its members;
• the presence in the territory is essential to promote members’ development and typical products and processes, through representation towards local authorities and other subjects.

Therefore, coherently with these objectives, UPA promotes actions in the fields of environmental energy sustainability and territorial and natural resources conservation, knowing that environmental protection and energy saving should be considered not as bounds to economical growth but as necessary and strategic conditions. Environmental and energy issues have to be considered in the future programmes in the fields of industry, transportation, waste and water, land planning and land and natural resources allocation in the provincial territory.

In the energetic field UPA is adopting a strategy of specialization of its members (mainly builders and plants installers) towards RES technologies and installations, with both training and know-how updating of members and pressure on local authorities for supporting the RES market and diffusion.

UPA actively operates in the fields of energy policies and sustainable buildings, with its technical and formation structures and involving Scientific and Technical Research Institutions, to facilitate and promote:

• the activation of specific training courses, at basic and specialist level, for enterprises and technicians working in the building sector, according to criteria and parameters of sustainable building principles;
• the activation of training courses, at basic and specialist level, for enterprises and technicians working in the sectors of planning, producing, installing and maintaining small scale RES plants, according to criteria and parameters referring to energy efficiency and renewable and alternative energy resources;
• the implementation of information programmes and services, assistance and advice to final users (enterprises and citizens) in the field of technologies to improve energy saving and efficiency, and to produce energy from renewable resources at small scale.

List of most relevant projects

Upa, as category association, carry out several projects at local level. As far as UE contributions are concerned, main projects presently are:

1) Equal phase II (2004-2007) "AMBIENTI DI IPERCONOSCENZA PER LA CONTINUITÀ DELLE PI E RETI DI IMPRESA" (iper-knowledge environments for small enterprises and enterprises nets continuity) cod IT-G2-VEN-044 – as partner

2) ESF measure A1( 2003-2005) "I SERVIZI PER L'IMPIEGO PER LE IMPRESE ARTIGIANE" (Services for employment in artisan enterprises) as beneficiary

3) ESF measure A1 ( 2005-2006) "I SERVIZI PER L'IMPIEGO PER LE IMPRESE ARTIGIANE" (Services for employment in artisan enterprises) as beneficiary

4) project Leonardo da Vinci (2004-2006) "ADVANCE means : Advanced Distance Vocational training by Adaptation with New concept using Cognitive process knowledge for E- learning engineering" Agreement n° 2004 FR/04/B/P/PP-151107.