Greening the future: Using vocational excellence for a just transition
Susanne M. Nielsen, ETF
This article delves deeper into the specifics of how excellence in vocational education and training (VET) can be leveraged to ensure that the green transition is equitable. Drawing heavily on the experience of the ETF’s global green VET partnership GRETA (Greening Responses to Excellence through Thematic Actions), it discusses innovation and strategic partnerships that have proven effective in various regions. It highlights the transformative potential of grassroots initiatives when scaled through policy support and supported by educational frameworks. The highlighted stories, from around the world, show that the challenges and solutions are remarkably universal.
- ✅ 1. Introduction
The green transition aims at reducing carbon emissions, enhancing energy efficiency and boosting renewable energy use. It is vital for halting climate change through net-zero emissions. It affects industries and jobs because it requires fundamental skill adjustments.
It is critical that the green transition is also a just transition: supporting workers, employers, and communities as they shift towards sustainable economies. The Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals stipulate this.
Shifting towards sustainability requires both global cooperation and local action. The call for global cooperation has never been more pressing. It is driven by the urgent need to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Nations made strong commitments in the now ten-year-old Paris Agreement. The UN Environment Programme's Emissions Gap Report from November 2023, however, paints a stark picture: the world is not making progress (UN Environment Programme, November 2023).COP28 marked the beginning of the end for the fossil fuel era. The Global Stocktake urges countries to update their nationally determined contributions (climate action plans) by 2025 in an all-out effort to keep temperature rises below 1.5°C from pre-industrial levels. Countries must triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. They must also phase out coal power and fossil fuel subsidies. This presents a crucial opportunity to elevate ambitions and speed up efforts to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
But global cooperation and commitments must be matched with local action. The move towards full sustainability takes place locally. Indeed, roughly 70% of climate change mitigation efforts are driven by local authorities (UNEP, 2024). These governing bodies possess the power to implement policies and programmes that effectively alleviate the impacts of climate change.
Significant transformations are already reshaping lives. They affect jobs, skills, career paths and overall satisfaction with life (EBRD, November 2023). The World Economic Forum labels the shift towards sustainability and environmental consciousness as the next labour revolution and speaks of the rise of green-collar jobs. It estimates that by 2027, 60% of the global workforce will require reskilling and upskilling to meet the demands of the green economy (WEF, 2024). A recent global analysis by ManpowerGroup reveals that 75% of employers struggle to find suitable candidates with the necessary skills for environment, social, and governance goals, while 94% of candidates lack these skills (Manpower, 2024).
This illustrates how much education and training systems also need to adapt to the demands of the green transition. Transforming occupations to become more sustainable requires integrating technical skills for adapting and implementing green processes and technology, along with transversal skills that foster a holistic approach to thinking and acting green.
Most current VET systems cannot change at the required speed. They tend to change slowly because their autonomy is typically limited. The problems this has caused in recent years are set to grow exponentially as the green transition storms ahead without pause, calling for agile, innovative, bottom-up skills strategies.
Society and economy are changing and meeting their rapidly changing needs requires flexible, local skills eco-systems. This is where centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs) can play a significant role. Their force is the effectiveness with which they can respond to shifts in the labour market, address and fill skill gaps, and inspire the entire world of vocational training around them.
This article explores the role of such centres of vocational excellence in the process of the greening education and training. It offers insights drawn from analyses and reviews conducted by the European Training Foundation (ETF) and its Network for Excellence (ENE) through the global green VET partnership: GRETA – Greening Responses to Excellence Through Thematic Actions.
- Section 2 looks at the essence of vocational excellence and core concepts of centres of vocational excellence.
- Section 3 introduces GRETA with its innovative peer learning approaches and its system-wide approach to greening VET.
- Section 4 presents the ETF's insights on greening VET, derived from analyses, peer reviews and collaboration with centres of vocational excellence.
- Section 5 provides policy recommendations to further excel in greening VET.
- The annex provides links to greening practice from GRETA's thematic peer learning sessions.
- ? 2. What is vocational excellence and the core of CoVEs
Vocational education and training (VET) plays a key role in equipping individuals with the skills necessary for the green transition – the shift towards a more sustainable, inclusive and indeed innovative economy. This transition requires a workforce proficient in green skills that meet the growing demands of industries aiming to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency, in line with the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The concept of vocational excellence takes this a step further. It aims to empower individuals with adaptable skills for lifelong learning. It emphasises the alignment of skills training with the needs of an innovative, inclusive, and sustainable economy. It promotes a learner-centred model for VET, which stresses integration into skills ecosystems that support local change in response to global climate policies.
CoVEs are at the forefront of this education evolution, distinguishing themselves from other vocational institutions in ways that are not uniform. CoVEs tend to specialise in specific vocational areas like renewable energy or construction, allowing for a deeper focus and a higher quality of training tailored to industry needs.
They prioritise close collaboration with industry partners and other stakeholders, fostering innovation in training programmes. Lifelong learning is a significant emphasis that is often manifested in programmes for adult upskilling and reskilling. Furthermore, CoVEs maintain an international outlook, seeking global partnerships to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and advancements.
In the construction sector, CoVEs lead the adoption of sustainable building practices. For instance, we see examples of CoVEs collaborating with local construction firms to implement innovative building methods, such as green materials and energy-efficient designs, resulting in significant reductions in carbon emissions and enhanced energy efficiency (ETF, 2023a and ETF, 2023b).
Similarly, in renewable energy, we see CoVEs play a critical role in developing and disseminating specialised training programmes, such as hands-on training modules for wind turbine technicians.
CoVEs drive interdisciplinary initiatives by collaborating extensively with stakeholders from various sectors. For instance, public private partnerships (PPPs) between CoVEs and technology companies and agricultural organisations lead to precision farming programmes that introduce advanced digital technologies into agricultural practice, enhancing efficiency and sustainability in modern farming.
The integration into CoVE curricula of problem-based learning through applied research and real-life case studies provides learners with practical experiences that are directly relevant to their future careers. We see many examples of CoVEs collaborating with local businesses to engage students in solving real-world challenges, such as designing energy-efficient building systems or optimising renewable energy installations.
Nominations of CoVEs can come from different institutions, including ministries, educational institutions, industry associations and local authorities. The nomination process varies across countries, mirroring variations in governance structures, education systems and policy agendas. The development of CoVEs from regular VET centres into the beacons of vocational excellence they become is a gradual process of growth and adaptation. To illustrate this progression, the ETF has devised a model with three distinct stages.
Initially, vocational schools or training centres typically enhance their standard VET activities while developing strong links with the local job market, ensuring that curricula and programmes align with employer needs. They then advance to strategic development, actively engaging in skills forecasting to keep pace with job market changes. At the peak of their development, CoVEs contribute significantly to local skills networks, fostering innovation and supporting regional growth. Their development into centres of vocational excellence is characterised by active contribution to the local and regional economy.
CoVEs play a special role in the green transition due to their unique characteristics. Their degree of specialisation allows them to produce graduates that are better able to support industries in the transition to greener practices. Their close industry collaborations lead to innovative training programmes that are directly responsive to the evolving demands of the green economy. The emphasis on lifelong learning and social inclusion ensures that the workforce remains adaptable and capable of ongoing professional development in response to new environmental challenges and technologies.
The international partnerships of CoVEs enrich the learning experience considerably. They expose students and staff to global best practice and innovation in green skills. This global perspective is crucial for preparing a workforce that can navigate local specifics of the green transition in an, often complex, international framework.
In essence, CoVEs are more than education institutions. They are catalysts for change, driving the development of a skilled, adaptable, and future-proof workforce essential for achieving sustainability goals. Their focus on vocational excellence, in alignment with the imperatives of a sustainable and inclusive economy, makes them indispensable partners in the journey towards a just and green transition. Through education, collaboration and innovation, CoVEs offer practical solutions to the pressing climate change challenges, thus playing an instrumental role in fostering economic development, enhancing community resilience, and building social cohesion. And, crucially, they can inspire and lift up other vocational schools and training institutions in their environment.
- ? 3. GRETA – a global greening VET partnership
One of the hallmarks of the European Training Foundation is vocational excellence development through partnership, peer learning and the exchange of practice. It shares access to a vast global knowledge base on vocational excellence through its ETF Network for Excellence (ENE).
Established in 2020, following the European Commission's endorsement of CoVEs as key agents in transforming vocational training, the ENE network supports its members in achieving and maintaining excellence in skills development. With over 300 members from more than 40 countries, including the EU, its neighbouring regions, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia, the network has quickly developed its reputation as a leading platform for collaboration on excellence in vocational training.
Within the ENE framework, the GRETA initiative – Greening Responses to Excellence through Thematic Actions – supports CoVEs in responding to the demands and opportunities of the green transition. The importance of international cooperation in developing green skills is underscored by the global nature of environmental challenges. The experience gained from GRETA's activities demonstrates a shared interest among CoVEs in embracing sustainable practice. This highlights the effectiveness of peer learning in accelerating the adoption of new ideas and practice.
The methodological framework of ENE and GRETA is designed to advance the greening of VET innovatively. This framework comprises four main components:
? Self-assessment enables CoVEs to evaluate their progress and pinpoint areas for improvement.
The ETF has developed a comprehensive self-assessment tool for use in the ENE network: ENESAT (ETF, 2021a).? Peer-to-peer reviews foster a culture of mutual learning and continuous development.
? Peer visits facilitate direct engagement and sharing of good practice and experiences among ENE members.
? Thematic peer learning sessions allow for focused discussions and sharing of practice on specific greening topics.
GRETA’s system-wide approach to integrating environmental sustainability into VET encompasses five interconnected dimensions whose primary aim is to ensure that sustainability goes beyond being just a curricular subject and instead becomes a core principle of VET policies, practices, and culture.
These five dimensions are:
- Developing clear, systematic greening strategies that align with horizontal policies, vertical governmental interconnections, and institutional priorities.
- Engaging a broad range of stakeholders, including government officials, education institutions, and the business sector, to support the green transition in VET.
- Revamping curricula and training programmes to include sustainability goals, equipping learners with necessary green skills and promoting a sustainable shift in values and mindsets.
- Ensuring teachers receive professional development to deliver high-quality green education effectively.
- Securing dedicated resources and establishing funding frameworks to advance VET greening initiatives.
This comprehensive, system-wide approach to greening VET vastly improves the development of skills needed for the green transition while making sure that this transition is just and fair and extends across all aspects of vocational training. GRETA expands the UNESCO-UNEVOC guidelines for greening VET (UNESCO-UNEVOC, 2017), by developing a systematic approach that resonates with the characteristics of vocational excellence and CoVEs. This emphasises the strong collaboration between VET stakeholders within skills ecosystems.It aims to navigate towards a more sustainable economy while ensuring fairness and equity throughout society, thereby preventing anyone from being left behind in the transition. This entails safeguarding workers' rights, providing support to affected communities, and addressing social disparities. Expanding the scope of skills ecosystems to encompass social ecosystems acknowledges the connection between technical and social aspects of skill development. This comprehensive approach is critical for advancing the goals of a just transition, ensuring that skill development initiatives are equitable and sustainable (Ramsarup et al, 2023).
By implementing these methodologies and approaches, the ETF, through its ENE network and the GRETA initiative, is setting a new standard for vocational excellence in the era of the green transition, ensuring that VET systems not only adapt to but also actively shape a sustainable future.
- ? 4. Greening VET – what we have learned so far
This section shares insights gained from analysis, peer reviews and direct collaboration with CoVEs. It explores the five interconnected dimensions of the system-wide approach introduced in the previous section.
The ETF report Greening VET – Processes, practices and policies (ETF, 2023a) provides detailed practice and experiences from countries such as Armenia, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Latvia, Morocco, Serbia, Slovenia, Türkiye and Ukraine.
- ? 4.1 Greening strategies
UNESCO's Global education monitoring report reveals that almost two-thirds of countries lack specific national laws, policies, and strategies for climate change education (UNESCO, December 2023).
The Paris Agreement highlights the crucial role of multilevel governance in combating climate change. Collaboration across countries, regions and stakeholders is imperative to enhancing collective action. As such, the agreement recognises the interconnected nature of climate challenges and the necessity for coordinated efforts across governance levels and sectors, including education, environment, industry, and employment. Such alignment, both vertical and horizontal, is essential for promoting a unified approach to greening VET, which is critical to the development of green skills that are required for a sustainable economy.
ETF analysis has revealed that regional and local governments often struggle to align their skills ecosystems with broader national and global objectives because they have differing priorities, resources and capacities. As a result, CoVEs face challenges because coordination mechanisms are insufficient or lacking altogether. A shift towards regional skills identification within skills ecosystems is essential for advancing the green transition in a fair way, proactively addressing environmental issues while promoting social equity. Yet, evidence shows that achieving such alignment is a complex endeavour.
A common challenge identified is the lack of guidelines for developing institutional greening strategies, partly because green skills and values are insufficiently promoted at the policy level. A 2021 global study by UNESCO found that nearly half of the national curriculum frameworks in 100 reviewed countries did not include any reference to climate change (UNESCO, 2021). But practical eco-friendly actions on campus are powerful tools. They demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, serving as a role model for students, teachers, and partners. By implementing green practices, educators cultivate an understanding of sustainability and environmental responsibility, building a culture that values these efforts (ETF, May 2023a).
ETF peer reviews and peer exchanges organised within GRETA reveal that while comprehensive greening strategies may encompass all aspects of institutional approaches, in practice they tend to be specific rather than holistic in nature due to the complexity involved. Approaching change step by step in this way allows institutions to make gradual progress in greening their operations and educational offerings.
For example, an institution might prioritise the integration of sustainability modules into existing courses, implementing energy-efficient practices in campus operations or establishing partnerships with local green businesses for practical training opportunities. This targeted approach allows institutions to leverage their existing resources and expertise more effectively while also building momentum for broader sustainability efforts over time.
GRETA's peer exchanges indicate that when practical eco-friendly actions are taken on campus, like separating waste or using solar power, it's clear to students, teachers, and partners that there's a real commitment to going green. By implementing green practices on campus, teachers and trainers serve a role models and help cultivate an understanding of the significance of sustainability and environmental responsibility. Leading the charge and encouraging sustainability among staff and students not only builds a culture of environmental responsibility but also ensures that everyone involved sees the value in these efforts (ETF, May 2023a).
- ? 4.2 Collaboration with stakeholders
At the heart of vocational excellence lies skills development that builds on solid partnerships and collective efforts. CoVEs are central connectors within networks, aligning with a range of institutions and entities to forge local and regional skills ecosystems.These partnerships are especially critical in regions transitioning towards a green economy, which often involves the winding down of mining and other traditional industries. Collaborative actions here include creating targeted VET programmes, spearheading cross-sector initiatives, and initiating rapid upskilling projects. Such collaborations bring together diverse stakeholders, pooling local resources to achieve sustainable development targets.
ETF analysis has shown that effective governance and coordination are key to successful skills ecosystems. Stable funding, clear communication, and efficient coordination at various levels are vital for building a strong skills ecosystem.
However, peer reviews conducted by GRETA reveal that CoVEs often have difficulty involving businesses in green projects. The latter are often hesitant to allocate time and resources to what they may see as secondary initiatives, especially with the fast pace of technological advancement.
One consequence of this is that CoVEs encounter difficulties adapting to changes in the industries that will employ their graduates. There is an inherent inertia in education institutions, but experience shows that it can be mitigated by close collaboration with business partners. Local governments play an important role in supporting the establishment of such business-education partnerships.
In larger collaborative ventures, unclear roles and insufficient coordination often impede collaboration. Communication issues and problematic decision-making within partnerships highlight the need for solid social dialogue mechanisms and skills committees. Without these, there is a risk of overlooking varied stakeholder views, leading to disengagement and less than ideal results.
Financial limitations also present challenges, as CoVEs often struggle to find adequate funding for green projects, including project management and equipment acquisition.
ETF reviews and GRETA's peer exchanges have documented an increase in involvement from additional stakeholders in skills ecosystems, like research and innovation institutes, underscoring their growing importance in the green transition. The collaboration between academia and industry is crucial for fostering innovative solutions and policies that promote sustainability in VET and other sectors. Cooperation with green NGOs is also beneficial, as they bring climate consciousness, sustainability expertise, and new training methods for upskilling and reskilling.
On the other hand, the rapid changes in labour markets and skills demand require a constant adjustment of stakeholders’ roles that can lead to confusion about responsibilities. This in turn can result in reduced commitment. Local governments, again, are highlighted for their essential role in facilitating new forms of collaboration.
Addressing these issues calls for more flexible and united methods. Stakeholder mapping and joint vision development are key steps. By embracing flexibility, cooperation and transparent communication, CoVEs and VET providers can tackle the challenges of changing labour markets and skill demands, ensuring stakeholder engagement and effective operation within the skills ecosystem.
- ? 4.3 Greening standards and training programmes
As mentioned before, the shift toward a sustainable economy necessitates a diverse set of skills, encompassing both specialised technical skills for particular jobs and versatile, transversal skills across sectors. A green mindset is required to understand how environmental, social, and economic factors are related.
To address these demands and make curricula and training programmes greener, CoVEs are increasingly adopting a cross-disciplinary and problem-based learning approach.
Aligning curricular frameworks with competence standards is fundamental for meeting labour market needs arising from the green transition. Competence standards reflect industry (green) requirements, defining the necessary skills for specific occupations. Curricula translate these standards into training programmes, with learning outcomes as benchmarks. Effective pedagogical methods and apprenticeship models are instrumental in achieving these outcomes.
Frameworks like GreenComp and ESCO are invaluable in pinpointing and embedding essential green transition skills into training programmes. These frameworks may require some introduction. (See inset.)
GreenComp: The European sustainability competence framework
A policy action set out in the European Green Deal is GreenComp, which seeks to identify and promote the development of key competences required for the green transition. This is a main reference framework providing an agreed definition of sustainability as a competence to foster a sustainability mindset that helps users to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to think, plan and act with empathy, responsibility and care for the planet. It does not deal with technical and transversal green skills, but rather with knowledge, value and attitudes of individuals. GreenComp offers a shared platform for learners and offers guidance to educators, establishing a consensus on the meaning of sustainability as a skill set.ESCO: The international language of skills
The European Skills, Competences, Qualifications, and Occupations Framework (ESCO) establishes a standardised language to promote a shared understanding of skills – a taxonomy (classification system) across countries, sectors and occupations. In the current ESCO database, a total of 571 skills and knowledge concepts across industry sectors are labelled as green. These include 381 skills, 185 knowledge concepts and 5 transversal skills. Examples of green skills include the abilities to conduct energy audits, measure the sustainability of tourism activities or staff on recycling programmes. Green knowledge covers such topics as emission standards and ecological principles. Green transversal skills include, for instance, the evaluation of the environmental impact of personal behaviour and the adoption of ways to boost biodiversity and animal welfare. The framework defines which skills and knowledge concepts are essential or optional for greening a specific occupation and identifies skills for the green transition that can be applied across different occupations based on the fields of International Standards Classification of Education (ISCED-F). With this information, VET providers can identify and define skills to integrate into their curricula and training programmes in support of the green transition.GRETA's peer reviews and exchanges have shed a light on the diverse processes that lead towards the definition of competence standards in different countries. Factors of note that influence the outcomes of these processes are differing levels of stakeholder engagement, diverse frameworks for social dialogue and sector-specific infrastructures.
While governments play an important role in the evolution of green curricula, innovation frequently springs from the grassroots experiments of individual CoVEs.
Autonomy in curriculum development and legislative support for sustainable public-private partnerships greatly help CoVEs to promptly respond to labour market shifts. Often, however, CoVEs face restrictions in curriculum autonomy, especially in regions where curricula are largely determined by national authorities. This limitation can impede the rapid adaptation of training programmes to new green skill sets. Insufficient industry exchange, particularly with companies not yet aligned with green practices, also challenges the accurate identification of skill needs and trends.
Within GRETA, the ETF has been able to observe how CoVEs modify existing training programmes or develop new ones tailored to needs of the green economy. For instance, in blacksmith training, students now learn about sustainable material usage, minimising energy consumption during forging processes and implementing recycling measures for metal scraps. Similarly, electrical engineering programmes now cover the design of energy-efficient circuits, implementing renewable energy systems like solar panels, and employing smart grid technologies for optimal energy management.
CoVEs have also initiated new training programmes targeting the burgeoning renewable energy sector's needs, often establishing specialised departments that focus on solar and hydroelectric power technologies.
To nurture green minds, many CoVEs use extracurricular activities to enhance environmental consciousness. These can come in the form of workshops, seminars, and hands-on projects centred on resource efficiency and renewable resource use.
In similar ways, many CoVEs engage actively, and with good results, with their surrounding communities on topics such as resource efficiency, waste management and the utilisation of renewable resources. Some organise clean-up drives or recycling initiatives, others advocate sustainable agricultural practice. Such activities help students to apply their skills to real-world environmental challenges, giving them practical experience in environmental stewardship. By actively engaging with their communities, students not only apply their acquired skills and knowledge but also gain valuable practical experience in tackling real-world environmental challenges.
- ?? 4.4 Continuous professional development of educators
As teachers and trainers engage with the green transition, they need to stay updated on evolving green technologies and skill requirements. This includes understanding new green practices, policies and standards. They must also adjust to a new educator role, teaching transversal skills and fostering a green mindset for sustainable behaviour, while promoting green values like responsible consumption. On top of that, sustainability concepts must be integrated in career guidance, work-based learning and apprenticeships. All of this requires a solid understanding of the scientific basis of green actions on the part of educators.
Because this base is changing constantly, such understanding can only be maintained with the help of an effective system of continuing professional development (CPD). Preparing educators for green skills delivery through training courses, peer learning activities and sharing best practices should be an integral part of ensuring that VET meets the needs of a green economy and society.
At the European level, the European Trade Union Committee for Education stresses the need for teachers and trainers to have sufficient time, resources, and continuous professional development for integrating environmental sustainability education effectively. Education unions demand that the responsibility for sustainable development be shared by all, including European and national institutions, governments, education authorities, and employers in education. This would ensure evidence-based education for environmental sustainability, in line with commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the European Pillar of Social Rights (ETUCE, 2021).
However, ETF analysis identifies a patchwork of CPD initiatives within VET institutions, often without cohesive national coordination. Peer reviews conducted by the ETF pinpoint substantial gaps in green skills among educators. In the ETF Network for Excellence, three-quarters of CoVEs report a shortfall in teachers' green expertise, reflecting trends in international studies. There is also a noted generational divide in understanding the importance of the green transition (ETF, May 2023).
Within the Network, there appears to be a growing recognition of the value of collaboration with external training providers as well as self-directed learning for CPD. These approaches, often initiated by the VET providers, include custom collaborative training, teacher involvement in CPD design, and technology-enhanced learning experiences.
- ? 4.5 Funding
Funding plays a critical role in the greening of VET. A lack of funding always hampers the development of high-quality training programmes. Funding is also the backbone of enhanced infrastructure, updated facilities and professional development for VET trainers and teachers, ultimately fostering equitable access to the benefits of the green transition.
Effective financing systems rely on governance principles such as transparency, accountability and efficiency. They are implemented through rules, procedures and funding mechanisms. They should be supported by reliable data, strict budgeting approaches and alignment with national priorities for the green economy and sustainability objectives. Overall, a shift towards outcome-based funding and a redefinition of purpose can support this objective.
Through analysis in GRETA, the ETF has identified recurrent challenges related to the funding of CoVEs.
Peer reviews have revealed a preference for short-term funding objectives, prioritising immediate outcomes like job placement rates. While this strategy may yield immediate benefits, it disregards the need for long-term investments in green and sustainable development. Consequently, the emphasis on short-term results obstructs the progress of green VET initiatives, thereby limiting the ability to adequately equip students for the evolving demands of the job market (ETF, 2023a).
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) appear to be valuable mechanisms for the mobilisation of resources. Private sector partners typically provide funding, expertise or resources to support sustainability projects. They allow CoVEs to access support and expertise beyond what may be available through public funding alone. This improves their capacity to implement green initiatives and drive innovation in vocational education and training (ETF, 2021).
For example, partnerships between leading renewable energy companies and CoVEs specialising in engineering and technology training have resulted in the establishment of renewable energy laboratories on CoVE campuses. Here, students gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies in renewable energy.
Similarly, strategic alliances between sustainable agriculture organisations and CoVEs have borne fruit. Some of these have led to the development of organic farming demonstration plots within CoVE premises. Through such plots, students get access to practical training in sustainable farming methods, environmental stewardship and organic crop cultivation.
Collaboration between innovative construction companies and CoVEs has supported the integration of eco-friendly building materials into vocational education. Some of these partnerships have facilitated the adaptation of curricula to incorporate training on new emission-friendly building materials and construction techniques. As a result, students are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to contribute to environmentally conscious construction practices.
These examples underscore the transformative potential of partnerships between private entities and CoVEs. By working together, CoVEs enhance their capacity to implement effective sustainability initiatives, fostering innovation and leveraging resources beyond what may be available through public funding alone. Such collaborations not only benefit vocational education and training but also contribute to broader societal goals of sustainability, economic development, and social inclusion.
A paradigm shift is needed, where funding for training is no longer seen as a simple line item on the expense sheet but as an investment, with future returns, in a greener economy and society.
- ? 4.1 Greening strategies
- ? 5. Policy pointers
CoVEs, with their emphasis on collaboration and partnership in VET, can play a key role in driving the green transition forward. Recognising the importance of engaging with businesses and the private sector, particularly in understanding the skills required for green jobs, the ETF emphasises the necessity of fostering green skills ecosystems. This entails creating tailored training programmes that address specific needs, providing students with practical experiences, and ensuring access to cutting-edge technology.
Unlocking the full potential of CoVEs relies on robust support from policymakers and stakeholders alike. This support is essential for empowering CoVEs to lead meaningful reforms in VET, steer regional skills development towards sustainability, and shape policymaking initiatives that align with the skills needs of the future economy.
Based on ETFs analyses, peer reviews, and peer exchanges in GRETA, ETF has formulated policy recommendations. These aim to bridge the skills gap, promote green skills development, and contribute to sustainable development and economic prosperity.
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- ? Annex: An overview of GRETA’s thematic peer learning sessions
The following is an overview of GRETA's thematic peer learning sessions with links to the relevant materials.
Other articles
Experts from outside the ETF have contributed to this collection of ETF articles with first-hand experience from their own very colourful patchwork of work environments. See also below.