GreenComp: Taking Green Skills One Step Further

GreenComp: Taking Green Skills One Step Further

The 10th edition of the LLLWeek took place on 1-4 December 2020 online and tackled the burring topic of “Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Societies”. 

The EfVET together with the European Association of Regional & Local Authorities for Lifelong learning and European Association for the Education of Adults co-organised a policy debate focused on how to provide an effective green competences framework that has an impact across sector and help to take action in the green transition. EfVET, EARALL and EAEA associations brought together policymakers and stakeholders from different education sectors. The policy debate was moderated by Noelia Cantero (EARLALL Director).

MEP Marcos Ros (ESP, S&D) welcomed the policy debate and highlighted European initiatives that already mention the need for education systems to be involved in a transition towards a more sustainable Europe, such as the Skills Agenda, Pact for Skills, Osnabruck declaration and others. He welcomed the GreenComp policy paper lunched by EfVET, EARLALL and EAEA and advocated for a well-educated childhood as a guarantee of a better citizenship competence in the future including sustainability for lifelong learning opportunity for all. 

In additionAnusca Ferrari (European Commission, DG-EMPL) and Tatjana Babrauskiene (EESC) highlighted a role of education in achieving the twin transition towards green and digital Europe and green skills education needs to be mainstreamed throughout all sectors and all level of education. 

TKNIKA Basque VET Applied Research Centre presented a video about how green skills are embedded with the VET curricula with a sectoral approach towards sustainable gastronomy, energy and building industries, extending the green colour to a full palette of sustainability. 

The green future needs to start with upgrading the skills of youth and adults people and also of understanding what needs to be changed to achieve sustainable development for example good practice from an adult education of view, Lidwien Vos de Wael  presented Sustainability and Adult Education in Center Rotterdam and said that “green skills are not technical tricks, and we need to adopt a greener lifestyle and to influence policymakers and companies it is necessary to link green skills with skills for active citizenship and with skills for a circular economy. Finally, we need create the necessary conditions to facilitate climate education”. 

Murray Biedler (UNESCO) highlighted the role of water and jobs on various levels, whether we look at them from an economic, environmental or social perspective. Many jobs in the global workforce depend on water. Water stress and the lack of decent work can exacerbate security challenges. There is a link between scarce or poo quality water, damaged ecosystems and instability that can lead to forced migration. 

Finally, the closing worlds by Joachim James Calleja (EfVET President) and Gina Ebner (EAEA Secretary General) reminded of the importance that together we can find the best ways the studies impact the green reform which us run in very diverse circumstances and lead the green transfer and digitalization of their areas. Resilience and flexibility have to integrate informal and non-formal learning together with especially local and regional companies to formal education in VET is the main key to solve future challenge and to make the change together. A teacher training should be one of our priorities and we have to think of how far governments are willing to make this great change. 

Noelia Cantero announced the launch of a new website www.green-comp.eu, jointly developed by EfVET, EARLALL, EAEA and p-consulting, which aims at supporting the development of a European framework of green competences. We would like to thank all participants and speakers.

Sources: EARALL, EAEA, published in cooperation with EfVET 

More information about the event can be found at this link and presentations at this link.

EfVET Newsletter

If you want to be informed about our latest news, please subscribe in the following form.