Environmental Skills are vital for sustainability transitions but require careful implementation combining technical, interpersonal, and transformative competencies within supportive institutional frameworks

This article provides important insights into how educators can effectively implement Environmental Skills training for sustainability transitions. The concept of Environmental Skills has emerged as crucial for enabling workers and learners to reduce environmental impacts, but this research reveals that successful implementation requires a more nuanced and comprehensive approach than many current programs offer.

Using a narrative literature review, Fuchs analyzes and synthesizes existing research on Green Skills and sustainability transitions across multiple disciplines, particularly drawing from economic geography, labor geography, and vocational education research. First, the article examines how different strands of literature define and conceptualize Green Skills, revealing the varied interpretations and normative assumptions about what constitutes "green" and "skills." Secondly, it analyzes literature on the implementation of Green Skills in vocational education and training. Thirdly, it investigates research on the impact of Green Skills on sustainability transitions.

The article emphasizes that Green Skills must extend far beyond technical training. While operational abilities are important, effective sustainability education needs to develop interpersonal capabilities like communication and teamwork, alongside intrapersonal skills such as planning and personal responsibility. These broader competencies enable learners to not just perform sustainable practices, but to become active agents of change within their organizations and communities.

Implementation faces several significant challenges that educators should be aware of. Many vocational schools struggle with already-packed curricula, making it difficult to integrate new sustainability content. There's also a widespread shortage of qualified teaching staff and appropriate educational materials. The article notes that whilst short training courses can address immediate technical needs, they often fail to support the deeper transformation needed for genuine sustainability transitions.

The research identifies several approaches that have proven effective in practice:

Teaching Approach and Content

• Combine technical-operational skills with both interpersonal skills (communication, negotiation, teamwork) and intrapersonal skills (project planning, responsibility)

• Ensure skills are practically applicable rather than just theoretical knowledge

• Include content that addresses broader social issues like regional disparities, inequality, and poverty

• Build in teaching elements that promote empathy, altruistic attitudes, and meaningful social cooperation

• Focus on developing "action competence" - enabling learners to proactively contribute to sustainability transitions

Program Design

• Implement comprehensive multi-annual vocational education rather than relying solely on short courses

• Create systematic links between classroom learning and workplace practice

• Develop teaching-learning materials that can be easily used in daily teaching practices

• Build partnerships between vocational schools, technical education institutions, and industries to ensure industry needs and worker perspectives are included

• Incorporate community-based organizations where appropriate

• Include regular evaluation of whether skills are contributing to actual sustainability improvements

Supporting Elements

• Create supportive institutional frameworks for implementing green skills

• Build networks between educators for sharing resources and best practices

• Maintain ongoing dialogue with environmental and social stakeholders

However, the article points out that more research is needed into the impact of green skills policies and related training, as currently the body of evidence is sporadic and limited.

The article concludes that while green skills alone cannot drive societal transformation, they represent a crucial tool for enabling sustainability transitions when implemented through holistic, well-supported educational programs that address both immediate adaptive needs and longer-term transformative goals. Any environmental education organization developing and delivering programs related to green skills could benefit from the approaches identified above