Qualification and certification of installers in Italy

The last two years have been characterized by impressive growth of installation. At present, according to GSE, the total power installed and operating amount to about 13 GW. Estimated PV-related labour places added to induced jobs amounted to 50.000 units. Only by paying serious attention to quality of training, the skills of the employers in the photovoltaic industry can raise, the companies will be able to improve the quality of professional services and meet the need of further professionalization of the staff. Since 2011 the Italian certification and qualification system has been regulated by Legislative Decree 28/2011 implementing the RES Directive 2009/28/EC. In order to be qualified as professionals, the installers of PV systems need to attend to training programs in compliance with the criteria foreseen in Annex IV. According to the 28/2011 Decree, the Italian certification learning programs will be managed by regional administrations, supported by ENEA - the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development- ensuring the homogeneous patterns and high quality content. ENEA, thanks to its experience in training and for its qualified participation in working groups and in several European projects on renewable energy, has been developing a qualification scheme for RES installers of RES, including PV installers since 2007. Mesos, which is ENEA’s spin off and skilled training provider, has already experienced the ENEA model, providing successfully accredited courses for the qualification of PV installers. By passing final examination, the "certified installers" will be inserted in a national register by ENEA. The ENEA model is a voluntary certification scheme much appreciated by end-users and training providers. Should the regional certification systems have accepted it, a unique certification scheme at national level would be created and single regional certification system avoided. The paper will show in details how ENEA is planning to fulfill with requirements foreseen on art. 15 of the Italian Leg. Decree 28/2011 by the end of December 2012.