GRETA – Greening Responses to Excellence through Thematic Actions – ENE's green initiative

ETF Network for Excellence

GRETA - Greening Responses to Excellence through Thematic Actions

Background

The interlinked green and digital transitions are creating a need for new skills and knowledge that are essential to building a sustainable and digitally enabled economy. It is becoming increasingly clear that decisive actions are needed to reduce carbon emissions and utilise new technologies in the best way to safeguard our planet's future.

In recent years, there has been a shift towards incorporating green practices and sustainability along with new technologies into vocational education and training (VET) programmes. The greening of VET aims to equip learners with the knowledge , skills and mindsets needed to contribute to an environmental sustainable way of working, producing and living.

It is no longer about asking why to engage in the greening of VET, but how to embed it into the entire VET system. This requires a significant mobilization of resources, capacity and system change  in VET to succeed in this endeavour. An unwavering commitment to achieving VET excellence is essential.

GRETA

GRETA is ENE' s green initiative supporting greening of VET as response to the green and digital transition.

Key concepts

• Green transition concerns reducing carbon emissions, improving energy efficiency, and promoting renewable energy sources, while the digital transition involves the integration of digital technologies in society
• Skills for the green transition, encompass both technical knowledge and transversal skills, as well as knowledge, values, and attitudes that enable professionals to effectively utilize technologies and processes and make pro-environmental decisions in both their work and personal lives.
• Greening of VET refers to the gradual process of aligning training practices, culture, and institutional operations with the principles of environmental sustainability.

GRETA applies a whole institutional approach to the greening of VET – a 360 approach.

It recognizes that environmental sustainability is a cross-cutting issue that requires a holistic and integrated approach involving a range of VET stakeholders.

Training: Greening the curricula and training programmes is essential for providing learners with green skills for the labour market, and also for changing values and mindsets. programmes.

Teachers: Teachers play a critical role because they are responsible for delivering education to students.

Stakeholders: Stakeholders brings unique perspectives and resources contributing to the success of greening of VET. The alignment of skills delivery with the regional and national green policies is included in this dimension.

Funding: The development and implementation of green initiatives, such as those related to the greening of curricula or teacher training, requires resources – for instance with regard to acquiring necessary instructional materials or access to relevant technologies.

Strategies: A systematic approach to the greening of VET requires the development of greening strategies. VET providers can develop such strategies by formally defining priorities, objectives, and timelines, for instance in regard to greening their campus or addressing the four greening dimensions outlined above.

GRETA activities

• GRETA carries out peer reviews and analyses on the greening of VET and the skills implications of the green and digital transitions.
  
  Thematic online sessions are open to ENE members.
• GRETA has synthesized insights gained from peer reviews into actionable recommendations that can inform policy development and implementation, and available in the key report ‘Greening of Vocational Education and Training. Processes, Practices and Policies’.
• GRETA applies  a systematic and structured approach to policy advice. 
• GRETA has in 2023/2024 has a focus on key sectors including construction and energy. 

Peer learning hub

MEETINGS

GRETA Kick off meeting, 7 December 2021: KICK OFF MEETING GRETA INITIATIVE – GREENING RESPONSES TO EXCELLENCE THROUGH THEMATIC ACTIONS | Open Space (europa.eu)

GRETAs thematic online sessions present and share good practices

• Green continuing professional development
• Practices and funding possibilities for green international partnerships
• Regional skills ecosystems and their importance for the greening of VET
• Green training programmes and their role in addressing green skill demands 
• Greening strategies
• Looking into the green and digital future

• Joint webinar ENE and VET Toolbox: Green out of the box! Global Greening - practices and processes

• Empowering a Just Transition – the roles of Centres of Vocational Excellence

• Building Green – Building Skills ecosystems - Moving forward skills provision for the green transition

• BUILDING GREEN – greening the construction sector. Moving forward in provision of skills for the green transition | Open Space (europa.eu)

• Building Green - Sustainability frameworks for Greening - Moving forward in provision of Skills for the Green transition

The report published in May 2023, Greening of Vocational Education and Training: Processes, Practices and Policies analyses practices and the challenges in the processes for the greening of VET and provides policy recommendation on how to advance in sustainability and green skills development.

It is aimed at VET stakeholders invested in strengthening the development of VET and VET excellence.

For more information on GRETA,

GRETA: The peer learning network helping vocational education go green! | ETF (europa.eu)

Looking into the green and digital future | ETF (europa.eu).

Contact:

Susanne M. Nielsen, Lead Expert for GRETA

smn@etf.europa.eu or ETF.Network.for.Excellence@etf.europa.eu