Centres of vocational excellence in the green transition: GRETA

What is GRETA?

Named after the Swedish environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, GRETA – Greening Responses to Excellence through Thematic Actions – is an initiative supporting the green transition through peer learning. Recognising the opportunities co-learning affords, this initiative aims to develop greening initiatives for vocational education and training (VET) centres by VET centres. 

Who is involved?

Eighteen centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs) in eight countries are part of this initiative: Armenia (1), Georgia (1), Latvia (1), Serbia (1), Slovenia (1), Spain (2), Tükiye (3), and Ukraine (8)¹. For more information on each CoVE, see GRETA on ETF Open Space.

The Danish Technological Institute is cooperating with the ETF and GRETA to help participating CoVEs achieve their green goals through pear learning and peer review exercises.

What is in it for participating CoVEs?

• The opportunity to share experiences and exchange effective practices on going green with other CoVEs
• The opportunity to identify core strengths and weaknesses in terms of going green
• The opportunity to be peer reviewed by other CoVEs
• The opportunity to chart a path forward on how to help CoVEs go green and develop green skills
• Access to a wide and diverse network of CoVEs as well as stakeholders in the public and private sectors, in ETF partner countries and EU member states
• High visibility on Open Space, the ETF online platform

How does GRETA work?

Following a self-assessment exercise by each participating CoVE to identify their needs in terms of going green² and green skills³, the CoVEs will undergo a peer review. Each CoVE will be matched with three other CoVEs to form a peer learning group, and peer review exercises will be carried out within each group.

Timeline

• December 2021 – kick-off meeting and self-assessment exercise to identify CoVEs’ needs in terms of going green and green skills
• January 2022 – matching each CoVE with three other CoVEs to form peer learning groups
• February 2022 – online peer-review visits organised within each peer learning group
• April 2022 – plenary peer review meeting on green competences and CoVEs’ approach to these
• April–November 2022 – six online thematic meetings on how to accelerate greening processes and action maps developed

For more information, join our online community on Open Space.

_{¹ We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and with the Ukrainian CoVEs involved in this project. Through their commitment and contribution to GRETA, they remain valued participants of the initiative.}

_{² Going green: the process of making CoVEs environmentally sustainable.}

_{³ Green skills: the skills needed to develop and support an environmentally sustainable and resource-efficient society.}