- 2022Design
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
Formal education, in-service training and retraining do not adequately match the development needs of society and the labour market. Few in-service training and retraining opportunities, including those for acquiring green skills, are provided to people with lower and higher levels of professional skills and education in the growth areas of smart specialisation and areas in need of priority development in society.
Vocational education and training (VET), higher education, and in-service training offers need to be updated to adapt to the rapid changes in the labour market and respond to the skills needs deriving from green and digital transitions. Updates are based on labour market monitoring and future skills forecasts, taking results from a recent special survey on knowledge and skills needed for the digital and green transition.
Objectives
To broaden workforce knowledge and skills related to the green economy, and to address skills gaps to support the green and digital transitions in VET.
The development of population´s digital skills is guided by national targets set in the Education strategy 2021-35:
- the share of 16 to 24-year-olds with digital skills above the basic level should increase to 90% by 2035 (2019: 76.2%)
- the percentage of 16 to 74-year-olds with digital skills above the basic level should increase to 60% by 2035 (2021: 27.7%).
Description
The following measures are envisaged:
- developing the principles for skills-based curriculum development in VET;
- developing principles for addressing the skills needed for the green transition, including competences supporting the development of environmental awareness in VET;
- a total of 2 830 people to be trained in VET, higher education and continuing education under the green transition actions in 2022-24;
- a total of 2 000 people to be trained in VET, higher and continuing education as part of the digital transition actions 2022-24.
These activities supporting digital transition follow up the Digital focus programme implemented in 2016-21.
The Recovery and resilience facility (2022-26) supported the digital transition, including the development of VET modules, the organisation of in-service training to ensure the supply of ICT and cyber security specialists, and the creation of an in-service training programme for SMEs.
In 2022, the framework (conditions for granting support from EU structural funds) was created to develop green skills by updating the content learning and organisation of studies, by developing and providing new modules and courses in higher education and VET in fields including transportation, energy, agriculture, forestry, food processing, construction, chemical industry, and waste management.
In 2022, with the support of Erasmus+, a bottom-up initiative of experts from VET institutions was launched to find innovative approaches for the development of green skills by exercising design thinking. A series of webinars were conducted to raise awareness of green issues and support greener policy-making in VET by addressing the needs of policy-makers, leading employers and the national VET team. Regular short vision webinars called Green talks (Rohejutud), mainly on the topics of green transition in VET, were organised to address the wider audience. The expert group also developed recommendations for the implementation of the green transition in VET.
In 2022, digital transition actions 2022-24 were still under development.
In 2023, new programmes of the IT Academy and the Engineering Academy were launched to bolster VET in ICT and engineering and raise the profile of these sectors in the labour market. Such initiatives promote cooperation between the public authorities, education institutions (including VET centres), companies, and professional associations.
The IT and Engineering Academies are set to enhance and update VET programmes at EQF levels 4 and 5, modernise learning environments with technological solutions and software, and promote IT and engineering education, also aiming to increase female participation. VET centres introduced mentoring systems to decrease early dropout rates. Engineering curricula are tailored to Industry 4.0 needs, focusing on interdisciplinarity and integrated learning in product and industrial design.
Provisions were also adopted to offer additional flexible and labour-market-driven learning opportunities to facilitate businesses' digital and green transitions, supported by the EU Recovery and resilience facility. These include ICT skills training, cybersecurity, and the integration of ICT modules into vocational training curricula. Professional qualification standards and VET programmes were being updated, and continuing training programmes were being developed to equip the workforce with the knowledge and skills for the green economy.
Supported by the EU's Just Transition Fund, EUR 31 million have been allocated until 2029 for skills development to update and create new curricula at university colleges and VET centres in Ida-Viru County, focusing on technical subjects to address the region's skills shortages. Additionally, further training and retraining is being offered to workers laid off from the oil shale sector.
IT Academy and the Engineering Academy: cooperation with employers continued to refine targets and activities for the new programming period. It was decided to develop the IT and engineering curricula on the unified structure of the 4-year curricula agreed in the VET reform, while maintaining the specificities of IT and engineering curricula (stronger focus on STEM). VET centres were working on introducing mentoring systems to decrease early dropout rates.
EU Recovery and resilience facility measure: in the first phase of the development of new green skills modules and subjects, as well as curricula for in-service training, sectoral green skills were defined, development needs were identified and new modules and curricula for in-service training (incl. micro-qualifications) were developed. VET and HE institutions offered 105 state-commissioned training courses.
Just Transition Fund measure: In Ida-Viru County, the volume of state-commissioned in-service training was increased and 124 further training and retraining courses were offered, and development of 9 vocational training curricula started, according to the needs of the region.
The Estonian VET team (special advisory body) under the Estonian Erasmus+ Agency developed policy recommendations to promote a sustainable approach to VET and continued with series of online monthly meetings called 'Rohehommik' (Green Morning) as well as series of seminars and conferences to support environmentally conscious VET. VET team launched collaboration on supporting skills-based approaches, green and digital transitions in VET with VET teams from the Baltic States, Ireland, Finland and Romania.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Research
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Adult learners
Entities providing VET
- VET providers (all kinds)
Other
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.
In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.
Modernising VET infrastructure
This thematic category looks at how VET schools and companies providing VET are supported to update and upgrade their physical infrastructure for teaching and learning, including digital and green technologies, so that learners in all VET programmes and specialities have access to state-of-the-art equipment and are able to acquire relevant and up-to-date vocational and technical skills and competences. Modernising infrastructure in remote and rural areas increases the inclusiveness of VET and LLL.
This thematic sub-category refers to measures for modernising physical infrastructure, equipment and technology needed to acquire vocational skills in VET schools and institutions that provide CVET or adult learning, including VET school workshops and labs.
This thematic sub-category focuses on establishing and upgrading to state-of-the-art digital infrastructure, equipment and technology, such as computers, hardware, connectivity and good broadband speed that should ensure quality and inclusive VET provision, especially in blended and virtual modes. It also includes specific measures to remove the digital divide, e.g. supporting geographically remote or rural areas to ensure social inclusion through access to such infrastructure for learning and teaching. It also includes support measures for learners from socially disadvantaged backgrounds to acquire the necessary equipment.
This thematic sub-category refers to initiatives where VET institutions or companies providing VET not only ‘teach’ about environmental and social sustainability but implement green and sustainable principles in their physical infrastructure, e.g. using renewable energy, applying organic agriculture on their premises, recycling, using learning and training materials sustainably, etc.
Modernising VET offer and delivery
This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.
The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.
This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.
Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.
VET standards and curricula define the content and outcomes of learning, most often at national or sectoral levels. VET programmes are based on standards and curricula and refer to specific vocations/occupations. They all need to be regularly reviewed, updated and aligned with the needs of the labour market and society. They need to include a balanced mix of vocational and technical skills corresponding to economic cycles, evolving jobs and working methods, and key competences, providing for resilience, lifelong learning, employability, social inclusion, active citizenship, sustainable awareness and personal development (Council of the European Union, 2020). The thematic sub-category also refers to establishing new VET programmes, reducing their number or discontinuing some. It also includes design of CVET programmes and training courses to adapt to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and re-skilling needs.
Green transition and environmental sustainability have a significant place in the EU agenda (Green Deal), including the agenda for VET. This thematic sub-category refers to identifying in cooperation with industry, incorporating into VET curricula and programmes and teaching the skills related and needed for the green transition, including sector- and occupation-specific skills and those across sectors. It covers measures aimed at ‘greening’ VET programmes, including awareness and knowledge about climate change, green technologies and innovation, energy efficiency, circular economy and environmental sustainability. It also includes the use of appropriate learning methods that develop such awareness.
This thematic sub-category refers to updating VET curricula and programmes to incorporate skills related and needed for the digital transition, including sector- and occupation-specific ones identified in cooperation with stakeholders.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET as a driver for innovation and growth preparing for digital and green transitions and occupations in high demand
Osnabrück Declaration
- Sustainability - a green link in VET
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Supporting skills-based approaches, green and digital transitions in VET: Estonia. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/44132