New European Network for the Green Skills in Vocational Education and Training

Vocational Education and Training (VET) has a prominent place as a driver for environmentally sound and sustainable social and economic development in Europe, and in achieving the United Nations (...

In line with the goals of the new Erasmus+ programme putting priority on supporting the European Green Deal and reflecting the importance of skills, knowledge, and attitudes on environmental change and sustainable development, the project aimed to work on the overall development objective to further mainstream the integration of sustainability aspects in VET by enhancing the competences (of staff involved in VET) on sustainable development. The project aimed to identify a set of so-called core green skills that should be incorporated in VET programmes. The project planned to establish a methodology for educators’ skills training in some of the key sectors that come with the greatest opportunity for growth of green jobs that support sustainable development (including hospitality management and tourism, business and administration, logistics/transport and construction sector) with the goal to enhance the VET educator’s skills and knowledge on sustainability potentials of their own field. Further, the project aimed to create a platform for peer-learning, exchange of experiences, identification of best practices on how VET can act as a bridge to the sustainable development of working life.

To reach these goals and better equip the European VET to educate new generations of sustainable future agents, the GreenVETnet project carried out activities at various levels. Throughout the project, with the goal to come up with a consensus on the core green skills in different fields of VET and establish a solid response to equip the teachers and institutes with the right tools, the consortium worked together by virtual means and physically during five transnational meetings. The consortium established a common methodology to design and implement four strongly experimental learning, teaching and training activities (LTTA) targeted for VET educators from the above-mentioned fields. The project designed and launched a GreenVETnet online portal, showcasing external documents and materials that confirm the importance of green skills. Furthermore, the project also organised a high-level webinar gathering the VET leaders and experts advancing sustainability integration in the European VET institutes.

During the project VET professionals were engaged and equipped with the knowledge and tools enabling the effecting development of green and climate-responsive pedagogical and institutional capacities. In the project there were four Learning, teaching and training activities (LTTA), each focusing on one area of VET education. Selected areas were Tourism&Hospitality, Transportation&Logistics, Business&Administration and finally Energy saving Construction. During the LTTAs we had presentations both from VET institutions and the industries about how the green skills should be perceived and what change they mean in the paradigm of VET teaching. The contents of LTTAs were structured to cover the green competencies framework which is described in GreenCOMP publication (https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC128040 , published in 2022). Each LTTA collected practical pedagogical ideas for teaching green skills, they are now published in website greenvetnet.eu (https://sakky.fi/en/greenvetnet-network-green-skills-vocational-education-and-training/green-skills-toolkit). Along with the green skills toolkit, the greenvetnet.eu portal serves VET teachers, and wider public with material supporting the understanding of green transition and the needs to update VET education, especially noticing green skills in practical teaching. At the end of the project, a GreenVETnet webinar was held on how to implement sustainability into tomorrow’s education.