Promoting green skills: a story of excellence

Supporting centres of vocational excellence as part of its unique mandate to develop vocational education and training in transition and neighbouring countries, the ETF is proud that one of the promising technological hubs in Belarus was a finalist in the voting for its 2021 Green Skills Award. The Volma Eco TechnoPark  is a technological hub for developing environmentally friendly technologies in the field of renewable energy. Since today is the Day of Solidarity with Belarus, it is, therefore, a good opportunity to highlight this role model in the area of mainstreaming green skills and advocating for the development and use of renewable energy for tackling environmental degradation and climate change.

Established in 2018, the Minsk-based intersectoral training and research centre offers vocational students from Belarus and beyond, courses on ecological development and smart power networks. Last June, it was selected as a finalist in the ETF Green Skills Award for its efforts in technological innovation, in addition to the green skills training it provides to learners from different backgrounds and professional affiliations. The Park is also recognized for promoting excellence in teaching through offering its students the opportunities to learn and acquire new skills, as well as getting them to know how to utilize the use of green energy in different sectors such as engineering, construction, and agriculture to name a few.

In partnership with some of the leading companies from the private sector like Viessman, Schneider, and Festa, the Park has managed to provide effective energy solutions that can be applied in areas of heating systems and enhancing the effectiveness of solar power.

Today, therefore, is an important opportunity to place the focus on this interesting success story in terms of promoting green skills amongst new generations, a direction in line with the ETF’s core mission and scope.

It is worth saying that the Green Skills Award is an initiative of ETF that took place for the first time last year. The call for this year’s edition is to be published soon.

Have a look on last year’s competition here: https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/news-and-events/events/building-lifelong-learning-systems-skills-green-and-inclusive-societies