Introduction of sustainable thinking and green skills development through VET - business cooperation

<< Background >>The project contributes to the EGD goals by supporting the green transition and creating a more sustainable future. In that frame, the development of green skills of all citizens, as well as the green transition of industry are considered to play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. The cooperation of VET providers and SMEs through the activities of the project has contributed to green skills development in accordance with the needs of the labor market and the guidelines of the EU Agenda. The VET sector and the SMEs must cooperate and adapt to the new sustainable framework to support the change towards the new digital age and the green transition of society. The project has detected the main challenges that SMEs face in their way to adjust their operations and services in the green measures that were set in the EGD. In accordance with the challenges of the SMEs and the guidelines of the EU Agenda, the VET providers have managed to adapt their practices and be more aware of the green skills that need to be developed and included in their curriculums. The project has contributed to merging the gap between the VET and SMEs sector regarding the green transformation and provides relevant educational tools and materials.<< Objectives >>Among the main objectives of the Green Collider project was to raise awareness and readiness for the changes brought by the EGD in both VET and business sector. Moreover, the project aimed to bridging the gap between the needs of SMEs and the VET curriculums regarding the development of sustainable thinking, circular economy, and green skills by strengthening the cooperation between VET and businesses throughout the project activities. The provision of transnational knowledge, exchange of good practices and the development of innovative tools for the VET and business sector were also some of the goals that the project focused on and managed to achieve. Furthermore, the project aimed to support VET trainers, students and SMEs with sustainable thinking competencies and green skills through the VET-Business Green Cooperation Collider.<< Implementation >>The activities that were implemented in the Green Collider project were aligned with the needs and the goals of the proposal. More specifically, the activities that took place during the project are the following: Project result 1: development of methodological framework, templates and tools, development of modules, structure and development of webinars, quality assurance and assessment of modules and webinars, implementation in partner countries, dissemination of activities and results, 10 VET trainers training. Project result 2: development of methodological framework, quality assurance and assessment, identification of target groups and participants of the authentic task challenges, implementation of authentic task challenges in all partner countries, development of the online tool, assessment and validation of the concept, finalization, and implementation of the tool in all partner countries, overall report of PR2, dissemination of results and activities. It is noted that Europa Consortium implemented an extra training activity during PR2 in which 11 VET teachers were trained in the Green Collider Masterclass. Project Result 3: development of methodological framework, conceptualization and validation of questionnaire, data collection, data analysis, provision of national data and reports, design of the policy paper, assessment of the policy paper, drafting and finalization of the policy paper, dissemination of results and activities. Moreover, the partner organizations implemented the Multiplier Events and reached a high number of participants. It is noted that CCIS and SCSL did a joint Multiplier event in Slovenia. Finaly, all partners participated in the transnational meetings virtually and psychically.<< Results >>The VET sector and the businesses need to work simultaneously on creating a more sustainable future. The Green Collider project achieved its’ goals and managed to raise awareness in regards with green skills development, the green transition, and the needs of industry in this new framework of green economy. Throughout the project activities the VET providers and SMEs cooperated and raised their readiness to the changes that need to be taken into consideration in their sectors to be aligned with the new measures of the EGD. The project created innovative tools and educational material to develop green skills and sustainable thinking and provided transnational knowledge and know-how exchange. Moreover, the Green Collider Policy Paper gave a comprehensive analysis about the challenges and proposed solutions for the integration of green skills into vocational education and training in all partner countries.