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Background/Context: In this paper sustainability is explored as an emerging paradigm for career and technical education (CTE). The current context of the sustainability or green movement is discussed and CTE is compared to environmental education. A sustainability literacy conceptual framework is then applied to career and technical education. Purpose/Focus of Study: An argument is presented that CTE programs should green their curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of students, employers, business/industry and the environment. It is then argued that a sustainability literacy conceptual framework is needed to assess current efforts by CTE programs to green their curriculum and instruction, shape and inform future efforts and to assess sustainability efforts in CTE. Research Design: This paper is an analytic essay in which the historical, philosophical, and theoretical foundations of CTE are reviewed and then related to environmental education. Sustainability is defined, examined and applied through a sustainability literacy conceptual framework to CTE. Conclusion: Green CTE represents a new paradigm for the field and sustainability is a complex not yet well understood concept. This paper is intended to stimulate conversation about the purpose(s) of CTE as well as the possible role CTE has in contributing to sustainability through local actions.

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Electricity generation from renewable sources has been touted as a win-win solution for the advancement towards both environmental sustainability and decent work for all. This paper analyses the employment effects of electricity generation by different sources on a worldwide scale as observed since the year 2000. It finds that the additional generation from renewable, non-hydro, energy sources has been related to higher job creation in the electricity sector when compared to other energy sources, notably fossil fuel-based technologies. As predicted, renewables also help reduce [greenhouse gas] GHG emissions. Estimating the economy-wide effects through employment multipliers provide more evidence that developing renewable energy has positive environmental and employment impact throughout the entire economy.

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This volume examines the experiences of 21 developed and developing countries in adjusting their training provision to meet the new demands of a greener economy. It shows that skills development is critical to unlocking the employment potential of green growth, yet skills shortages are becoming an obstacle in realizing this potential. The report recommends that countries devise strategies based on well-informed policy decisions, social dialogue, and coordination among ministries and between employers and training providers. Show less

We see the expression ‘sustainable development’ everywhere these days, but what does it mean? Can we really pursue sustainable economic growth without harming our societies and the environment? And if we pursue prosperity today, are we condemning our children and grandchildren to poverty tomorrow? The OECD works on many issues related to sustainable development - climate change, growth in developing countries, corporate social responsibility and much more. Using straightforward language and real-world examples, [this publication] draws on that expertise to explore these vital issues. [It] provides an essential introduction to the complex relationships between the economy, society and the environment. As global inequality and climate change become mainstream concerns, it asks the questions our generation needs to ask in terms everyone can understand.

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In South Africa, the biodiversity sector, and particularly the marine and coastal branch of the sector, lacks the relevant skills for effective implementation of environmental policy. The research presented here responds to this challenge by exploring the up-skilling opportunities and practices available to marine professionals and how they learn in, through and for the workplace. Specifically, this paper focusses on the use of socio-materialism in the very particular context of marine and coastal research, and how learning by professionals can be interpreted through the concepts surrounding materialism and socio-ecological systems. By understanding and investigating the learning that occurs, one can cautiously evaluate what learning is most valuable to the professionals and how transforming practices can lead to a better, more sustainable future. In this South African case study the author considers this sustainable future as one that involves the oceans and coastal environments of the country.

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Changes within all sectors of the utilities industry have resulted in enterprises being structured in new ways. Following the merger of the industry training advisory bodies for Electricity, Gas, and Water into the Utilities ITAB, there has been a need to review the issues facing the three sectors and determine common issues, and their implications for training. Robin Bishop and Associates have been contracted to research the industry sectors and provide the first broad approach to bringing the various and individual needs of the three industry sectors into a coherent report which highlights significant shared issues and what this means for training. Chapter 1 of this report provides an overview of the current training being delivered, and the industry use of competency standards is described. Chapter 2 and 3 outline the effects of the government’s policy for increased competition and a summary of the key issues such as changing environmental legislation is presented. Chapter 4 reviews the key issues that are changing the shape of the industry and their impact on training. Chapter 5 identifies the priority areas to be addressed and what this means for training in the industry. Recommendations are then made as to how the industry might meet the challenges facing it in regard to training. Show less

This document is the first of two publications designed for professionals involved in further education (FE) curriculum development. It outlines national policy developments and initiatives in environmental education policy and identifies strategies for developing the environmental aspects of the FE curriculum so that they correspond to the different levels of policy commitment to environmental responsibility. It provides information on methods of delivering environmental education that are based on examples used in colleges. Indicators for the evaluation of institutional and curriculum practice are included. The second publication provides guidelines for implementing units or modules of environmental education or integrating environmental outcomes into vocational assignments.

The second publication is indexed at TD/TNC 63.342. Show less

On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, [Canadian Policy Research Networks] CPRN brought together 144 young Canadians aged 18 to 25 years, randomly selected, for a deliberative dialogue and a summit with 40 decision-makers from government, business, labour, and the not-for-profit sectors. The event took place in Ottawa on November 24-27, 2005. Young participants were invited to talk together about the kind of Canada they want, what choices and trade-offs they are prepared to make as citizens, and what they and others need to do to make their vision happen. Dialogue participants talked about four issues that the Advisory Committee on Engaging Young Canadians and other youth had identified as especially important: learning, work, health, and the environment. This document reports on the discussion of learning issues, and particularly, the elements of the dialogue that touched on post-secondary education. In the context of their overarching vision for Canada and the values they endorsed to guide their thinking - accountability and transparency, long term sustainability and prevention, equity and efficiency - young Canadians articulated their own vision for education in Canada around seven pillars: education is for life, not just for a job; Canada is a bilingual (multilingual) country; Canada is a diverse country to discover; assessment and upgrading skills opportunities should be given to all educators; access to post-secondary education and training should be guaranteed to all who qualify; non-university, vocational and trades paths should be valued and supported; students should be able to focus on learning. Under the main thrust of their vision, ‘No-one must be left behind’, young Canadians went further on specific post-secondary issues: they stressed the importance of valuing different learning paths to work, in addition to college and university, and to find some balance to the exaggerated reliance on academic performance; they emphasized that all forms of education beyond high school should be made accessible to, and affordable for, all qualified and motivated individuals; and they called for all learning systems to be integrated and coordinated nationally, with similar levels of support provided to students and educators throughout the country.

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The aim of this study is to link this action on youth unemployment with the longer term European action on energy and resource efficiency, aimed at driving the development of new and transformative production models and consumption patterns towards sustainability. The ‘greening’ of the European economy entails changes in the labour market, in terms of types of jobs and skills required. Young people - the workforce of the future European economy - will need to carry out tasks and apply skills to adequately address the radical climate changes that may take place and the resulting changes to European economies and societies which climate change and resource scarcity may provoke in the future.

This study aims to highlight trade union action in collectively addressing youth unemployment and sustainable development issues in order to inform the further development of union strategies in this area. The project will consider how trade union initiatives on youth training and job placements can be linked to the growth of new green industries and transformation (greening) of the existing traditional sectors.

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This paper identifies and outlines, briefly, a number of major contemporary issues in vocational education and training (VET), suggests goals that might be set in addressing the issues and discusses approaches that might be taken in achieving the goals. Some of the contemporary issues appear to be long-standing ones, while others appear to have a number of origins including such seemingly rival sources as macro- and micro-economic changes and global, cultural and environmental challenges. The nature of the issues is discussed. In fashioning possible responses to such issues and challenges, such possible goals as the following are examined: relating education to economic change, achieving humanist ideals through education and achieving a better society through socially critical goals. The paper argues for a convergence amongst such goals and the imperatives that underlie them. An approach to achieving such convergence is suggested as a basis for fashioning more desirable directions for VET. This approach is compared with that of John Dewey. Show less