How to Build the Skills of Education Staff and Graduates in the Circular Economy?

Context

As part of a project aiming to integrate green and circular economy concepts into educational content for two distinct audiences (education staff, students, and graduates), UNEVOC called on Circulab Academy to deliver relevant, inspiring training.

Needs

UNEVOC wanted to pass on knowledge about circular economy topics to education staff at training centers, so they could strengthen their skills as trainers. It also wanted to give students and graduates an introduction to the green and circular economy.

Approach

In line with UNESCO's TVET priorities, UNEVOC sought to build the capacity of TVET staff on the topic of the circular economy, so they could gain new knowledge and apply these principles in their teaching contexts. The center also wanted to involve new graduates and newcomers to the job market from TVET programs in learning about circular economy approaches.

Process

The training project unfolded as follows:

• Analysis of the social, economic, environmental, and regulatory context of each center, to produce a status report for each center and country.
• Creation of blended-learning educational content for trainers (teachers, education staff at each center) and for students and graduates.
• Delivery of the training via recorded video (e-learning) and a live webinar for the train-the-trainer program.
• Production of a final report providing recommendations to UNESCO/UNEVOC on integrating the circular economy into technical and vocational centers' curricula.

Results

A total of more than 50 education professionals and 160 students and graduates were trained in the circular economy.