When Emmanuel Osinem attended a series of workshops on green transitions in Kenya in 2016, little did he know that he was starting on a journey. One which would lead this Nigerian TVET expert to become an influential driver of greening the TVET curriculum for teacher training in his country. Since then, Professor Osinem has overseen the introduction of modules on Green Technology, Skills Development in Agriculture and Emerging Issues in TVET to postgraduate teacher training at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s TVET Faculty. Other institutions have followed suit.

“When knowledge expands and technologies evolve, a versatile teacher needs to move too,” he says, “so I began incorporating these new experiences into the teaching and learning process.”

This is precisely the kind of development that UNESCO-UNEVOC and its strong partners like the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) are aiming to inspire with their new projects and latest publication – Meeting skill needs for the green transition. Greening TVET for a greener future. In response to the growing climate emergency, it provides hope and practical guidance on how the TVET community can contribute to a more sustainable future by greening their institutions.

A whole-institution approach

The guidance of UNESCO-UNEVOC has been persistent in defining ways for how TVET institutions can put into practice a whole-institution approach to greening and what challenges they may face. A host of success stories are featured in the guide, including the one described by Professor Osinem from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (a UNEVOC Centre). The guide is supplemented by several helpful other resources from the UNEVOC Network and other partner institutions from around the world that are motivated to share their own practices.

Bridgend College in Wales, UK, an active collaborator in the SDG Affinity Group, is one example of this whole-institution approach. In 2020 Bridgend became the first Welsh college to include sustainability and the risks from climate change in its corporate risk register. “There was an interesting conversation on the back of that in terms of how this links to things like the Well-being of Future Generations Act and to the Sustainable Development Goals,” says Chris Long, Bridgend’s head of health, safety and sustainability.

Ownership and a shared language

Including key terminologies that cut across different functions in an organization, such as ‘sustainability’ and ‘risk from climate change’ has had big consequences when engaging different committees such as health, planning and resources and finance. Mainstreaming sustainability in this way has helped create a common language and ownership among leaders, curriculum managers, students, and people from finance and is helping Bridgend College make notable changes. These include developing horticultural and agricultural grounds, a sustainable garden plaza and outdoor learning space and a low-carbon demonstration house known as the Home of Ideas.

Retro-fitted with a heat pump and insulation, the house is zero carbon. Outside is a garden where learners can grow produce, bring it into the kitchen and “learn about food production, food miles, biodiversity in food spaces,” says Mr Long, “they get those skills and do that in an environment which teaches them how much energy a house can produce through the solar panels on the roof.”

Campus gets people thinking

Using the campus as a living lab is one way the college strives for impact. It hopes this will produce a kind of cross pollination – for instance the grounds of the college provide a haven for biodiversity and a welcoming space for students and staff, but that is not all. “We want them to not just connect with nature, but maybe nature will start to help people think about what they can do in terms of sustainability, carbon sequestration, maintaining genetic diversity,” says Mr Long.

“The more we can find ways to knit the natural environments into curricula it brings them a little more alive. Hopefully learners can begin to make those connections between behaviours and resources and the benefits of nature,” he adds.

Supporting green TVET institutions

For anyone starting out on the journey to bring green issues front and centre in their TVET practice, the new UNEVOC-Cedefop guide has plenty to offer. The guide is an important tool for UNESCO-UNEVOC to implement a project entitled Strengthening TVET for a Just and Green Transition that recently received funding support from the the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). A strong ally of UNESCO, BMZ works with partners in closely linking climate protection, sustainable economic development and social justice. “Enhancing the quality and reach of TVET institutions ensures they can provide effective training, preparing graduates for jobs in sustainable industries. Together with UNESCO-UNEVOC, we create education opportunities, promote a just transition, and turn global climate and development commitments into action,” stated by Ms. Heike Kuhn, Head of the Education Division at BMZ.

From 2025 to 2027, the project is expected to strengthen TVET institutions to expand their skills training provisions ensuring that youth can access job opportunities and the social protection that come with the shift to green transition and climate solutions. The project seeks to work collaboratively with the members of the UNEVOC Network to equip them with capacities and a vision to facilitate them to become Green TVET Reference Centres within their own skills ecosystem and the global network.

This article was written for UNESCO-UNEVOC by Rebecca Warden, ICE