On March 21st, as part of the Tknika Days held at the iconic Miramar Palace in San Sebastian, we had the opportunity to present Growing Green, a project funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program. The presentation was made to an international audience of nearly 100 representatives from Vocational Education and Training (VET) centers.
Growing Green is a project that aims to promote innovative and sustainable VET while fostering entrepreneurial culture among European youth. It is an initiative by Ed-Consult and Erhvervsskolen Vestjylland from Denmark, HETEL and Salesianos Urnieta from the Basque Country, Il mio futuro, CIAPE, and Liceo Curie from Italy, and STEP Institute and GEPS from Slovenia.
During our presentation, we shared the main outcomes of Growing Green:
Compendium of Prototypes: We are compiling a collection of green business projects created by students, which will serve as a showcase of innovative ideas.
Educational Manual: We have developed a manual specially designed to integrate circular economy principles into existing curricula.
Educational Game: Along with the manual, we have created a game that facilitates practical learning of sustainability and circular economy concepts.
Growing Green Competence Framework: We are developing a set of competencies for green entrepreneurship, designed to align with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
Thanks to these results, we have observed a multifaceted impact: students are now capable of conceiving green business ideas from scratch and applying their learning to real-world situations, developing business prototypes that demonstrate a clear understanding of sustainable practices and commitment to environmental issues. Additionally, we’ve seen effective training of educators across various countries in the use of our resources, leading to a transformation of the classroom experience through the incorporation of sustainability and circular economy concepts.
The reception of the Growing Green project among the attendees at Tknika Days was extremely positive. Representatives from VET centers showed great interest in our innovative approach to integrating sustainability into education.
Many attendees expressed their enthusiasm for the project’s potential to transform vocational training and better prepare students for future challenges. In particular, the educational game and manual received praise for their practical and accessible approach.
Several participants approached us after the presentation to explore possibilities for collaboration and to obtain more information on how they could implement aspects of Growing Green in their own centers. The overall reaction was that the project is not only timely but also essential for the future of vocational training in Europe.
