How VET schools can teach sustainability: Two new open access studies from ProVEST
Europe has committed to becoming climate-neutral by 2050 under the European Green Deal (European Commission, 2021). Vocational education and training (VET) plays a key role in achieving this objective. Two new open access papers by members of the ProVEST consortium examine how secondary VET can foster learning for sustainability in practice.
The studies analyse teaching practices from vocational schools in Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany and Spain. These cases were documented and peer-reviewed by teachers and mentors on EduSynergy, the project’s collaborative online platform (Colin et al., 2026; Colin, Moscaritolo & Isaac, 2026).
The findings highlight three key factors. Authentic learning tasks, linked to real clients and workplaces, are the most consistent feature of effective practice. Collaboration between schools, companies and teachers strengthens learning. Peer feedback from European colleagues also supports teachers’ professional development. The authors identify two areas for further improvement: integrating sustainability more systematically into learning tasks and giving students greater responsibility for their own learning.
Both papers are published in open access and are freely available:
- Transforming secondary VET: A trans-European approach to powerful learning for sustainability
- Integrating powerful and transformative learning environments for sustainability in educational practice in secondary VET
References
Colin, P., Epstein, M., Guevara, M. T., Isaac, G., Köhler, T., Kristiana, N. E., Kuppens, T., Moscaritolo, A., Pauwels, L., Placklé, I., Roos, L., Sari, L. K., Trasberg, K., & Tuytens, M. (2026). Transforming secondary VET: A trans-European approach to powerful learning for sustainability. In C. Nägele, P. Nokelainen, N. Kersh, & B. E. Stalder (Eds.), Trends in vocational education and training research (Vol. 9, pp. 93–102). VETNET. https://doi.org/10.21240/vetcon/2026/ecer/100
Colin, P., Moscaritolo, A., & Isaac, G. (2026). Integrating powerful and transformative learning environments for sustainability in educational practice in secondary VET: The European project ProVEST. VETNET Conference Series. https://doi.org/10.21240/vetcon/2026/ecer/92
European Commission. (2021). The European Green Deal: Striving to be the first climate-neutral continent. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
