About the project
Project info
Short title: Train4ESG
Full title: Training finance sector professionals on environment, social and governance projects and investments
Funding programme: ERASMUS+ Key Action 2: Cooperation partnerships in adult education (KA220-ADU)
Project Nr: 2023-1-FR01 -KA220-ADU-0001 55643
Project duration: 1 December 2023 – May 2026
Project budget: 400 000€
Project description
During the last couple of years, the number and value of ESG investments have been growing at an unprecedented pace, as investors recognise that ESG factors will significantly impact the long-term value of their portfolios. This growth has been reinforced following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, which increased the interest of institutional investors in ESG.
Despite this growth and interest in ESG investments, digital finance and banking professionals lack the knowledge and skills needed to understand, assess, validate and monitor ESG assets and investments. This is largely because ESG topics are new and have hardly been part of any university or professional curriculum up to date.
Furthermore, there is a lack of high-quality courses on ESG investments, beyond simple, introductory tutorials. Train4ESG will fill in the gap in ESG professional education based on developing a novel training programme for ESG investments.
The course, which will be developed during the project, will provide fintech and other digital finance professionals with the skills they need to understand, assess, validate and monitor ESG projects. In this way, the project will contribute to an increased number of effective ESG investments and will help the accelerated approval and implementation of ESG-related business plans. The project's results will become publicly and openly accessible to European digital financial professionals. Based on the project's communication and dissemination activities, TrainESG will ensure broad outreach towards digital finance organisations, while strengthening the overall impact of the results on the ESG market and the digital finance sector at large.
The open nature of the project's results will boost their adoption by Small and Medium Enterprises in the digital finance sectors, which lack the equity capital needed to invest in high-quality ESG education.
Specific objectives
We aim to achieve 4 objectives:
To identify the skills gaps in the fast-growing ESG segment of the digital finance market.
To design and develop a complete and integrated ESG training program comprising various levels of knowledge and targeting finance sector professionals.
To validate and fine-tune the Courses based on the delivery of the program to the target audiences of the financial sector.
To ensure the sustainable development and wider use of the ESG training programme.
Target group
Fintech professionals with an interest in ESG projects and investments, including digital tools and techniques for ESG investment development, ESG portfolio construction, auditing, assessment and validation. Train4ESG will provide these professionals with knowledge of ESG investments and the tools for assessing, auditing and managing them.
Professionals working in Private Equity firms, including asset management companies aim at broadening their assets under management with ESG investments. Train4ESG will boost the capacity of these professionals to offer ESG-based assets to their customers.
Employees of Banks that engage in the development, assessment, validation, and auditing of ESG projects and investments. Train4ESG will reskill and upskill these professionals to engage in products and services of the ESG segment. Train4ESG will primarily address banking professionals who deal with ESG investments in departments like wealth management and auditing. Nevertheless, the project’s outcomes will be of interest to broader groups of professionals across business functions and management levels.
Professionals working in Regulators of the finance sector (e.g. Central Banks, Securities Market Commissions) with a strong interest in applicable laws and regulations for the ESG investments landscape. Train4ESG will boost the upskilling of these professionals in directions that help them supervise and regulate ESG projects and investments.
Digital Innovation Hubs officers who provide support services to ESG-related innovators, including fintechs. Train4ESG will provide DIHs with a novel training program that they will be able to use to give training and educational value to their members.