GreenComp in Vocational Education and Training: State of Art and Best Practices in Italy

Central to the success of transformative endeavours is the recognition that change is ultimately driven by individuals. The realization of sustainable transformations rests fundamentally upon people's preparedness to adapt, innovate and embrace new attitudes, behaviours, practices and tools. The transition towards the climate-neutral economy the European Union aspires to build is not exempt from this foundational requirement. Citizens must be ready to recognize and re-evaluate the existing beliefs, values and norms that fuel their actions and the behaviours of the systems they are a part of.

The twin digital and green transition is more about people and talent than policies and technologies. Green and technological advancements are powered by talents and propelled forward by the attitudes, knowledge and skills of those who can adapt and thrive in a greener and more digital society. In this context, Vocational Education and Training (VET) has expanded its responsibilities in new cross-cutting areas. It is called to support learners in developing a green-skilled workforce and proactive contributors to the just transition that the European Green Deal[1] calls for.

A greening labour market. The emergence of new regulatory constraints, increasing awareness of corporate environmental and social responsibility[2], and growing stakeholders’ demands for answers to sustainability challenges are leading companies to be increasingly involved in reviewing their strategic processes and implementing sustainable development initiatives[3]. Hence, the demand for green jobs and skills in companies is increasing. In Italy, according to the latest research[4] by the Italian Union of the Chambers of Commerce (Unioncamere) and the Italian National Agency for Active Labour Policies (ANPAL), green job entries planned by Italian companies reached a total of 1,816,120 in 2022, accounting for 35.1% of total entries planned for that year. This figure represents a step forward compared to the previous year, when the incidence of green jobs was 34.5%, with an absolute increase of 13.5%. Nevertheless, 47.4% of the required positions (+6,8% from the previous survey) could not be filled.

The competences needed. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission contributed to bridging the gap between experts and other stakeholders for a shared definition of green competencies through a non-prescriptive reference framework for learning about environmental sustainability that can be applied in any learning context: the European Sustainability Competence Framework, or GreenComp[5]. The Commission has encouraged member states to use the framework as a reference when introducing educational initiatives on sustainability. This publication aims to delve into its implementation in the Italian VET system while analysing policy developments and current practices in the field of sustainability education in the sector.

The purpose and structure of this publication. The publication collects the findings and conclusions of research on the state of the art and best practices in the field of sustainability education in VET in Italy, with a particular focus on the implementation of the European Sustainability Competence Framework. The research was conducted in the scope of the "Green Hive" project - a cooperation partnership co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme – and included the collection and analysis of primary and secondary data sources.

Chapter 1, "The Green Hive Project", presents the project's rationale, objectives and expected results, providing an insight into the context of this research.

Chapter 2, "Sustainability Education in VET: The Italian Context", presents an overview of the sustainability education landscape within the context of VET in Italy. The chapter lays the groundwork by exploring the demand for a green-skilled workforce and how the national education and training system responds to it.

Chapter 3, "GreenComp: State of the Art in Italy", analyses the recent policy development in the Italian education system in field of sustainability competencies and provides insights from interviews with VET experts.

Chapter 4, “Developing Sustainability Competences: Best Practices in Italy”, presents ten best practices implemented by institutions and organisations across the country, successfully integrating the competencies set out in GreenComp into their curricula or educational initiatives.

A concluding chapter synthesises the insights gathered in the publication.

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[1] European Commission (2019). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, The European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee Of the Regions: The European Green Deal.

[2] Abbasi, S.G., Tahir, M.S., Abbas, M. & Shabbir, M.S (2022). Examining the relationship between recruitment & selection practices and business growth: An exploratory study. Journal of Public Affairs. Volume 22, Issue 2, e2438.

[3] Afsar, B. Cheema, S. & Javed, F. (2018). Activating employee’s pro-environmental behaviors: The role of CSR, organizational identification, and environmentally specific servant leadership. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. Volume 25, Issue 5, p. 904-911.

[4] Unioncamere & ANPAL (2022). Le competenze green. Analisi della domanda di competenze legate alla Green Economy nelle imprese, indagine 2022. Available at: https://excelsior.unioncamere.net/sites/default/files/pubblicazioni/2022/CompetenzeGreen_2022.pdf

[5] Bianchi, G., Pisiotis, U. & Cabrera Giraldez, M. (2022). GreenComp The European sustainability competence framework. Punie, Y. and Bacigalupo, M. editor(s), EUR 30955 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, ISBN 978-92-76-53201-9, doi:10.2760/821058, JRC128040.