Green skills

The transition to a greener and cleaner world is an enormous challenge and a pressing priority – for all. To get there, green skills are required – the skills people need to work in occupations that are sustainable.

The development of new skills, as well as the updating of existing ones to support the green transition is a transversal issue within all of the ETF’s activities. 

What is the ETF doing?

• Green Skills Award – In 2021 we launched a call for success stories highlighting the role of education, training and skills in supporting the green transition. The third edition of the Green Skills Award was launched in March 2023. By the deadline we had received some 575 applications from over 70 countries. The 10 finalists were announced in June and the public was invited to cast their vote for the winner (some 6,000 votes received). A group of experts from different international organisations subsequently selected the second and third place winners. Here are the winners of the Green Skills Award 2023. 
• GRETA (Greening responses to excellence through thematic actions) is an ENE (ETF Network for Excellence) initiative helping vocational education go green through peer learning. It connects centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs) from different countries, which learn from each other about greening practices, sustainable solutions and the technological knowledge needed in the future. 
• A new project, launched in 2022, focuses on the international dimension of centres of vocational excellence. One of the project priorities is to collectively steer local and regional skills ecosystems and ensure they contribute to today’s priorities – the digital and green transitions, in particular.
• We provide policy advice to governments and stakeholders in the EU’s neighbouring regions, including in skills development for the green transition. We support the close interaction between education and training systems and their environments to build skills ecosystems integrated with economic, technological and social change and greening strategies.

What is the EU doing?

• The European Year of Skills 2023 gives fresh impetus to the importance of skills to contribute to the green and digital transitions, supporting innovation and competitiveness, and inclusion.
• The European Green Deal aims for zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through respecting the earth’s resources, the health and well-being of its citizens and stimulating economic growth, for which education and skills play a fundamental role.