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Call for paper
Title:
The Greening of Technical and Vocational Education and Training
Editors:
Thomas Schröder (Technology University of Dortmund)
Margarita Pavlova (The Education University of Hong Kong)
Numyoot Songthanapitak (Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna)
Zhao Zhiqun (Beijing Normal University)
East and Southeast Asia are regarded as the workbench of the world. Many environmentally stressing industries have moved from the western hemisphere to the Far East. The results are increasing hazardous environmental conditions and health problems in the Asian regions.
Parts of Europe faced similar problems decades ago but Europe has changed its environmental conditions for the better. TVET systems contributed to this change. Work processes needed to be rearranged, human behavior changed, old professions needed to include environmentally friendly behavior and new professions were developed based on new technologies, like solar energy, wind power, e-mobility, etc. Ultimately, the industrial and educational sectors had an impact on this individual, economical and societal change process.
The editorial team of Issue 6 of TVET@Asia expressly addresses scientists and practitioners from all world regions to share their experiences, best-practices, and research-based evidence with respect to the Greening of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, regardless of the decade these development processes were initiated or implemented.
Our underlying question is:
What practical effect did or does the idea of greening have on the development of TVET-systems?
Background note:
The importance of building ecologically sound economies (greening) has been widely acknowledged by governments around the world. This is mainly related to addressing issues of climate change and sustainable development. As stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “in recent decades, changes in climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans” (IPCC 2014, 4). The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), IPCC and other organizations recognized human activities contributing to the alteration of atmospheric composition. Together with natural climate variability attributable to natural causes, humans are significantly contributing to climate change. The work of international organizations such as the IPCC, UNEP and others urged governments to use adaptation and mitigation strategies to adjust to actual or expected climate and its effects and to “reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases” (IPCC, 2014, 4).
Greening of economies is among the major mitigation strategies used by the governments that can reduce the environmental impact of economic and social development. Both developed and developing countries (e.g. many OECD countries, China, Viet Nam & Indonesia) have launched strategies to support green growth. The role of education and training in supporting a green agenda is crucial (OECD 2011). There is a request for the TVET system to prepare a workforce that is meeting the requirements of labour markets, including those for greening jobs.
Although the notion of a green economy includes “low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive” (UNEP 2011, 2) characteristics, in some countries interpretation of green skills[1] is mainly conceptualized as decreasing environmental damage.
Different sectors respond to greening differently, thus greening of skills development is approached in a variety of ways. For example, construction is one of the industry sectors that has been identified by many international studies as playing a core role in the greening of economies (e.g. ILO 2011; Per Capita Report 2010; OECD 2011; IPCC 2014). The IPCC report (2014) characterizes the building sector as accountable for around 32% of final energy use and 8.8 GtCO2 emissions in 201[2]. The Energy demand is growing due to increasing wealth in developing countries, changes in lifestyles, urbanisation and other factors. The building sector’s CO2 emissions are predicted to increase by 50–150% by mid‐century (numbers vary due to calculations based on different scenarios) (IPCC 2014).
Improving performance and reducing running costs of buildings through retrofitting is a “key part of the mitigation strategy in countries with established building stocks, and reductions of heating/cooling energy use by 50–90% in individual buildings have been achieved” (ibid, 24). Changes in lifestyle, culture and behaviour are other important areas that influence energy consumption in buildings.
Over recent years, as claimed by the IPCC report (2014) building codes and appliance standards have been among the “most environmentally and cost‐effective instruments for emission reductions” (ibid). Recent advances in technologies, know‐how, and policies provide specific demands in terms of skills required in the construction sector as well as other economic sectors.
Therefore, the 6th issue of TVET@Asia aims to facilitate the discussion on how greening of TVET is understood, explain how it fits within the framework of TVET reforms in the region and identify the main concepts that underpin the notion of green skills. The editorial team of the 6th issue invites interested authors to contribute to TVET@Asia ( www.tvet-online.asia), an online journal for the TVET community in Asia. The Articles can be research, practice, or policy-based papers with respect to future and current TVET developments as covered in the following questions:
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What policies were practically implemented enforcing the greening of TVET?
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How was the idea of ecologically sound behavior included in curriculum development and/or in the practical implementation of Vocational Teacher Education AND/OR Technical and Vocational Education and Training?
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How did greening change vocational profiles and consequently curriculum and training regulations?
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Why did industrial companies become environmentally friendly and how did it affect the in-company training?
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What new professions were established based on new green technologies and how did this affect TVET-systems?
Please share your experiences with the readers of TVET@Asia on this pressing topic of creating an environmentally sound world in harmony with economic development.
References:
ILO (2011). Skills for green jobs. A global view: synthesis report based on 21 country studies. Geneva: ILO.
Percapita (2010). International approaches to green skills and sustainability [Green skills research project presentation to the ISC Conference]. Online: Click here (retrieved 06.06.2015).
OECD (2011). Towards Green Growth. OECD Publishing: Paris.
TVET@Asia is operated by the Regional Association for Vocational Teacher Education in Asia (RAVTE, www.ravte.asia) in cooperation with UNESCO Bangkok, Office Asia-Pacific and the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO).
Among others RAVTE intends to increase scientific writing in and for the region in order to enhance sustainable development through dissemination.
Authors from RAVTE’s member universities are being supported by RAVTE through Scientific Coaching and through support with respect to English Language.
Authors:
Open to any interested author.
Timeline:
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Please send an abstract of no more than one page, a short CV/profile (half page) and a list of publications to the editorial board via issue6@tvet-online.asia by July 17th, 2015;
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Please use “form-abstract_tvet-online.docx” which you find with other forms for download at http://www.tvet-online.asia/preview
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Submit a draft by September 30th, 2015;
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Send the finalised paper by November 15th, 2015;
Tentative publication date: end of November/beginning of December 2014
Thank you very much for your contribution.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas Schroeder, Margarita Pavlova, Numyoot Songthanapitak and Zhao Zhiqun
Chief Editors, Issue 6
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