Overcoming diverse approaches to vocational education and training to combat climate change: the case of low energy construction in Europe

Abstract

Vocational education and training (VET) can play a transformative role in reducing CO 2 emissions and improving the energy efficiency of buildings across Europe. Nearly zero energy building (NZEB) requires an energy literate workforce, with broader and deeper theoretical knowledge, higher technical and precision skills, interdisciplinary understanding, and a wide range of transversal competences. Through an investigation into VET for low energy construction (LEC) in 10 European countries, the article identifies a range of different strategies advanced under constraints imposed by the VET systems and construction labour markets. At one extreme, representing the 'high road', LEC elements are mainstreamed into broad-based occupational profiles, curricula and qualifications, whilst at the other, the 'low' road, short, specific and one-off LEC courses simply aim to plug existing 'skills' gaps. It is argued that the 'high road' approach, in encompassing a broad concept of agency, successfully addresses NZEB requirements whereas the 'low road' represents an instrumentalist approach to labour that jeopardises the achievement of higher energy efficiency standards. The article concludes by presenting a transparency tool set within the European Qualifications Framework, against which different VET for LEC programmes can be assessed.

The Role of VET in a Green Transition of Industry: A Literature Review

“…The roll-out of new industrial technologies, including me-ga-trends such as automatisation, digitalisation, and AI, must also follow the principles of worker participation and sustainable work in workplace settings. That is, high-tech industries must also be innovative in supporting extensive learning among workers (Brockmann et al, 2010;Clarke et al, 2020). These tendencies are exacerbated in countries where there is as yet no comprehensive (introductory) collective formation VET system in place.…”

“…Comparative research (Clarke et al, 2020) on VET for low-energy construction in ten EU countries also refers to an employee-centric approach. In this comparative study, Belgium and Germany come closest to travelling 'the high road', which means that low-energy construction is closely integrated into VET programmes in the curricula and exam regulations for each occupation.…”

“…This provides an infrastructure for work-based learning in close cooperation between companies and education providers. Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovenia are categorised as countries that conform to a 'low road' to green construction (Clarke et al, 2020). In these 'low-road' countries, the fragmented nature of the construction sector, lack of labour-market regulation, and limited governmental investment in VET do not allow for the broad expertise and learning opportunities necessary for a green transition.…”

“…Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Spain have developed a coordinated and comprehensive approach to integrating sustainable development elements into VET programmes, but they are still under-resourced and need improvement. The study by Clarke et al (2020) concludes with the presentation of a toolset within the European Qualifications Framework, against which different VET programmes for low-energy construc-tion can be assessed. However, they also concluded that quantitative and output-driven policy conceptions of green skills could potentially undermine qualitative aspects of the climate literacy needed by construction workers.…”

Mapping Research on European VET Policy With a Systematic Literature Review Method: A Pilot Study

“…Further, there were articles examining specific occupational foci or providing insights from micro-level perspectives. Clarke et al (2020) drew on a study of VET regarding lowenergy construction (LEC) developments in 10 countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain), which analyzed current provisions in the context of near-zero energy building (NZEB) implementation, the construction labor market, workforce characteristics, and national VET systems. Roosmaa (2019) analyzed how the choice of upper-secondary education and training specialization, general or vocational, enabled future participation in non-formal education (NFE) based on EU Labour Force Survey data from 28 countries.…”