Last week, MCAST Principal and President of EfVET Professor James Calleja chaired the annual conference of the European association of training providers in vocational education and training in Rhodes, Greece. Over 350 participants participated in a two-day conference focused on Future Skills for Green Transitions: an agenda for VET. EfVET members representing over 3.5m students in vocational education and training across Europe.

In setting the scene EfVET President spoke about the challenges that technology and artificial intelligence are posing on the education sector and how these are opportunities for VET institutions to promote new skills for greener economies.  He spoke about the unknown skills that we need to prepare students for; the need to keep abreast with the volume of knowledge that technology can provide in all sectors of employment; the challenge to strike a balance between work and leisure/family time as well as the increasing number of commitments that accumulate every week; the concern that we are witnessing a degrading natural environment due to a heavy consumeristic culture – hence the need for a return to a greening ethos and finally educating young generations using different pedagogies – more work-based learning, less hours and days in a formal lecture rooms and classrooms, more teamwork, more projects, less talking, more exchanges and involvement of students across colleges, schools and universities of applied sciences. Professor Calleja also delved into the well-being of managers, administrators and teachers which is often not on the agenda of VET policy or equality agendas. He said, “We are expected to prepare learners in future skills and a greening economy but what we witness around us is on the one hand an increasing greening mindset among populations (increase in the purchase of electric cars, separation of rubbish, planting of trees, the use of solar energy in E&T institutions, reduction in the use of paper, plastic and fuel…the list is long), but a slow political will to lead by example and protect the environment. Institutional pressures on VET managers are also increasing to reach these goals but with new work practices that often ignore the need for teamwork”.

 

 

The conference had a panel discussion on the future skills and green transitions as well as several breakout sessions and roundtable discussions on the topic. Participating in the panel discussion were Georgios Zisimos from the European Training Foundation, Carlamaria Tiburtini Senior HRBP Commercial, Programmes, Finance, Legal Compliance and Communication of AvioAero/GE Aviation Busiess Italy and Kari Puumalainen Director of Yla-Savo Municipal Federation of Education and Principal of Yla-Savo Vocational College. Among the keynote speakers the Greek member of Parliament the Hon Dr Ioanna Lytrivi who is also secretary to the Standing Committee of Education in the Greek Parliament. In her speech she stressed on the importance of a realistic approach to green transitions through education but also implementing the various declarations of international organisations including the UN and EU on climate changes, green transitions and future skills. Amersfoort in the Netherlands has been chosen as the next venue for the EfVET Annual Conference 2024.