Sustainable Development in EU Policies VET and Occupational Changes in the Green

Economy

Arne Baumann European Training Foundation

Workshop on Skills for Green JobsTAIEX (European Commission) / Croatian

Employment Service (HZZ)Zagreb, 3 November 2011

The European Training Foundation• An EU Agency, in operation since 1994, to

assist in developing education and training systems of partner countries of the EU

• ETF functions: • Policy Analysis• Capacity Building• Dissemination and Networking• Support to the EU Commission

• ETF vision: make vocational education and training not only a driver for lifelong learning but also for sustainable development

Potential candidate countries:

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (UNSCR 1244/1999)

Central asian countries: Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,

Uzbekistan

European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument

countries South:Algeria, Egypt, Jordan,

Lebanon, Morocco, occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria,

Tunisia and Israel

European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument

countries East: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova,

Ukraine and Russia

Candidate countries: Croatia, former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia,

Turkey

Humanity’s Ecological Footprint Courtesy of the Global Footprint Network, www.footprintnetwork.org

Global Footprint Network: Ecological Footprint Atlas 2010, p.18

Sustainable Development & Green Economy in EU Policies• EU Strategy for Sustainable Development

(since 2001)• EU Education Council: Education for

Sustainable Development• EU 2020 Strategy: Turning the EU into a

smart, inclusive and sustainable economy• Integrated Guidelines for the Economic and

Employment Policies of the Member States• Agenda for New Skills and Jobs Initiative• Resource Efficient Europe Initiative

• Think Small First / Small Business Act for Europe

EU 2020 StrategyEU 2020 Headline

TargetStatus Quo

(EU 27)

1Population in Employment

75% 2009: 64.6%

2Investment in Research & Development

3% of GDP 2008: 1.9% of GDP

3Climate and Energy

20% from renewable resources

Share of renewable energy 2008: 10.3%

20% less consumption of primary energy

1990 - 2008: + 9.0%

greenhouse gas emissions 20% below

1990 levels1990 – 2008: -11.3%

4 Education

share of school leavers < 10%

Early school leavers 2008: 14.9%

share of tertiary graduates > 40%

Tertiary graduates 2005 (EU-25): 36.9%

5 Poverty 20 mill. people less2008: 85 mill. people

in poverty

Integrated Guidelines• Guideline 1: Invites Member States (MS) to make

tax systems more employment, environment and growth friendly (i.e. shift tax burdens away from labour and towards environmentally harmful activities)

• Guideline 5: Invites MS to intensify attempts to decouple economic growth from resource use

• Guideline 7: Invites MS to remove barriers to labour market entry and support job creation in the area of green employment

• Guideline 8: Invites MS to support anticipation policies and increase the responsiveness of education and training systems to labour market needs, such as the green economy

• Strengthen the Flexicurity principles in order to ease transitions between jobs, occupations and sectors

• Make public employment services transition agencies and use active labour market policy effectively and efficiently

• Improve access to Lifelong Learning (LLL) to allow workers to move to expanding green(er) sectors

• Develop labour market intelligence and forward-looking labour market tools to address skills changes skills shortages

• Target vulnerable groups by up-skilling older workers and re-skilling blue-collar workers for green-collar jobs

• Use ETF funds more effectively in developing new skills, including in the area of the green economy

Agenda for New Skills and Jobs Flagship Initiative

Resource Efficient Europe Flagship Initiative

Decoupling of economic growth from the use of resources by, for example:

• Increasing recycling rates and reduce demand for primary raw materials

• Improving the design of products: less energy use, more durable and easier to recycle

• Modernising energy taxation (shift tax burden to activities that are harmful to the environment)

• Improving energy grids (Smart Grids) in order to increase energy efficiency and build an infrastructure for electric vehicles

Think Small First / Small Business Act for Europe

Framework for supporting and promoting Small and Medium sized Businesses (SMEs) in Europe, in particular by:

• Providing information and expertise to allow SMEs to adopt sustainable production and business models

Access to Eco-Auditing & ManagementNetwork of Environment and Energy Efficiency ExpertsSupport for eco-innovative Start-Ups

What is the role of ETF in partner countries?

The Three Dimensions of Sustainable Development (and how they relate to ETF‘s work):

Environmental Dimension:• educate on the environmental impact of human

activities • promote responsability for the environment and

others Economic Dimension:

• learn to produce and consume sustainably• seize opportunities from green transformation

Social Dimension: • provide equitable and inclusive access to education• promote active citizenship & good governance

The Green Transformation

Adapt to Climate Change

Mitigate Climate Change

Green Growth

Growth of New

Sectors

Change within Sectors

Potential candidate countries:

Central asian countries:

ENP South:

ENP East:

Candidate countries:

EU-27:

The Green Transformation and the World of

Work

Green Jobs II: … jobs in sectors that

reduce, protect, minimise...

Green Jobs I:

…jobs that reduce, protect,

minimise...

Competences, e.g.:•Systems thinking•Critical reflection•Creativity•Active Citizenship

Skills:•Traditional Skills•Additional Skills•New Skills

Revised curricula

Modernisedpedagogy

Access to LLL

Forward-looking skills developmentpolicies

Active schools & social partners

How does ETF address the Skills and Competencies for the Green

Transformation?

• Required mix of skills and competences will vary from country to country

• They range from electric car technology to sustainable agriculture to competences for active citizenship

ETF focuses on supporting development processes & capacity building rather than on delivering ready-made skills or competences

ETF Activities

a. Promote competences for sustainable development

b. Promote methods of identification, forecasting and provision of skills for green jobs

c. Make VET schools agents for local sustainable development

d. Integrate sustainable development issues into entrepreneurial learning

e. Include sustainable development in the analysis of partner countries’ human resource development policies, applying adequate indicators

Promote competences for sustainable development

• Teacher Education• Participatory teaching• Student-centred pedagogical

methods

• Curriculum Reform• Problem solving abilities• Awareness of environmental issues

& interconnectedness• Fostering sustainable attitudes

Methods of identification, forecasting and provision of skills for green jobs

•Overview of bottom-up and top-down approaches in EU member states (ILO/Cedefop)

•Qualitative forecasting methods (sectoral / regional)

•Potential of active labour market interventions (flexicurity)

Make VET schools agents for local sustainable development

• Whole-School approach to Learning for Sustainable Development

Integrate sustainable development issues into entrepreneurial learning

• Sustainable enterprise development

• Management systems for sustainable production

• Sectoral support institutions

Analysis of partner countries’ education policies

through adequate indicators

•Qualitative indicators

•For self-assessment•Providing a

communication platform for stakeholders

Thank you very much.

In case of questions & comments, please contact me:

Dr. Arne BaumannEuropean Training FoundationVilla GualinoViale Settimio Severo, 65I - 10133 Torino - Italy

T: +39 011 630 2349F: +39 011 630 2200E: arne.baumann@etf.europa.eu