DIRTT Dissemination Event Summary

Building Europe’s Framework for Trail Building Education and Certification

The DIRTT dissemination event brought the IMBA Europe Summit in Boltaña, Spain, to a close with a presentation by project manager Lars Wraae Jensen from Fagskolen Viken, Norway. His talk traced the development and achievements of the DIRTT project since its launch in 2019 and shared some exciting news about what’s coming next.

As outdoor recreation becomes increasingly important for health, tourism, and climate-friendly mobility, Europe’s trail building sector has grown rapidly. Yet it remains dominated by small, often seasonal companies that rely on practical experience rather than formal qualifications, with limited access to recognised standards or structured education.

Through the EU-funded Erasmus+ programme, DIRTT has been working to establish a European framework for trail building education, training, and certification. The first phase, DIRTT 1.0, mapped sector needs, surveyed 140 companies and 4 000 riders, and led to Europe’s first formal trail building education programme — graduating 20 students from 12 countries.

Building on this foundation, DIRTT 2.0 has developed a certification system to recognise and formalise trail builder competencies across Europe. Its centrepiece, the DIRTT Competence Framework, defines trail building skills across EQF levels 3–6, setting a shared benchmark for future teaching, training, and certification. It underpins three initial certifications: EQF 4 Trail Technician, EQF 4 Mechanized Construction Specialization, and EQF 5 Trail Building Manager.

In September, 13 national assessors were trained in Switzerland following a series of online modules and an intensive on-site session. They are now piloting the certification process in their respective countries, refining standards and ensuring consistency across Europe. A new ICT platform, launching later this year, will support candidate registration, certification management, and assessor coordination at both national and European levels.

DIRTT 2.0 has also embedded a strong focus on sustainability and inclusion. A dedicated report shows how trail building contributes to inclusive outdoor recreation and climate-resilient land management. Its findings have been integrated into the Competence Framework to ensure that environmental and social sustainability are central to every stage of professional trail building.

And for the big announcement at the event — the next project phase, DIRTT 3.0, will kick off in December 2025. This new phase returns focus to education, expanding access through a European Digital Learning Hub that integrates existing and new open-access learning resources for EQF levels 3–5.

DIRTT 3.0 will also establish a vocational school network through Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) course models, enabling more learners across Europe to access quality-assured trail building training. The project will introduce an EQF level 3 entry-level profile and deepen work on biodiversity, nature restoration, and regenerative trail building.

As part of this new phase, the consortium is growing — now spanning 13 partners across eight countries — continuing to raise professional standards and promote sustainable, inclusive practices in trail building across Europe.