Romania: the first centre of vocational excellence supports urban greening

These include:

• a new professional training standard and curricula for EQF level 3 initial VET qualification ‘Urban gardener’, developed through a collaborative process involving two professional associations, one company and teachers from five VET schools;
• the accredited and piloted continuing VET course Introduction in arboriculture and a popular 40-hour training course Education for biodiversity in urban areas for pre- and non-VET learners at lower secondary level, both based on the learning-by-doing approach;
• a collaboration of teachers and professionals from urban greening with their peers from Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands under teacher training and exchange/shadowing mobility programmes;
• designing a unique EUR 500 000 worth urban greening outdoor workshop area for learners in the Cezar Nicolau Technological High School;
• organising events, such as International Urban Greening Week in Bucharest in April 2024 attracting VET learners from Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, Czechia and Denmark.

InoVerde was established under the Erasmus+ programme. It was founded by the Cezar Nicolau Technological High School, a professional association ‘Landscape Designers Association’, a private company working in the field of urban greening, and the WorldSkills Romania Foundation with the support of the National Centre of TVET Development.

The concept of the centre was supported by the European platform for urban greening project and its report The atlas of professions and competences in urban greening, which emphasised the development of urban greening occupations and competences. The centre aims to address climate adaptation, biodiversity, and wellbeing in the urban, green living environment through learning. It also aims to broaden expertise among professionals in this area in Europe.

Further information is available on the InoVerde web page and its news section (in Romanian).