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MET-VET – Metacognition for
Environmental Thinking in VET
Project number:
2021-2-PL01-KA220-VET-000050783

PART D - Engaging and supporting learners into an
environmentally focused digital strategy

4.1 The relevance of involving learners in environmentally focused

digital strategies to favour and promote the green transition

The green transition is crucial for addressing the urgent issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, and
environmental degradation. Involving learners in environmentally focused strategies is not only
beneficial for promoting the green transition but is also essential for fostering a generation that is
knowledgeable, proactive, and committed to sustainability.
Involving learners in environmentally oriented digital strategies is crucial for propelling the green
transition forward (Persson Thunqvist, Gustavsson, & Halvarsson Lundkvist, 2023). Active engagement
of learners and their sense of connection to educational endeavours significantly contribute to
knowledge absorption and retention. Digital technologies offer avenues for enhancing engagement
through interactive, tailored, and dynamic learning experiences. Digital learning environments serve
as fertile ground for experimentation, wherein innovations such as sensors, data analytics, and
personalized learning tools can play a pivotal role in maintaining learner engagement. Tracking learner
interactions, participation rates, and attention spans using digital tools could enable the measurement
of engagement. By integrating elements like gamification, interactive content, and adaptive learning
pathways, educators can craft compelling digital environments – and contribute to favour and promote
the green transition.
The OECD’s Digital Education Outlook 2021 underscores the significance of digital technologies in
enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and
Development, 2021).
If we focus on VET learners, the importance of involving them in environmental strategies is even
higher. First of all, they are trained to work in specific sectors and industries that have a significant
environmental impacts and making them aware of sustainability issues by including environmental
skills in the curricula can have a direct influence on the implementation of sustainable practices within
their working sectors. Furthermore, nowadays in almost all the working sectors sustainability-related
skills are required, so VET programmes should incorporate green skills to guarantee to offer their
students an adequate preparation to operate in a job market that is changing also to meet the green
challenges.
VET learners often pursue careers in sectors (e.g.: manufacturing, construction, automotive) in which
sustainable practices can significantly reduce environmental footprints, so training them in green
methods and technologies is fundamental to promote sustainability in these industries.
Engaging learners in environmentally focused strategies improves their understanding of ecological
systems, the impacts of human activities on the environment, and the importance of sustainable
practices. Education plays a critical role in building this awareness. Environmental education
encourages learners to think critically about complex issues, analyse different perspectives, and
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not
necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither
the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.