The green transition has significant implications for labour markets, driving increased demand for skills that support sustainable development. Vocational education and training (VET) is well placed to support the green transition, as it lies at the intersection between education and the labour market. Through its close interaction with the world of work, VET can more quickly respond to changing skill needs and can foster green innovations. A VET system that supports the green transition has curricula that reflect ongoing and anticipated changes in skill needs in the labour market and that include green attitudes and values. It provides opportunities for teachers and trainers to develop their skills so they can effectively prepare their students for the green transition. Moreover, VET systems must be accessible to workers in jobs affected by the transition, enabling them to access high-quality upskilling and reskilling opportunities.
While the green transition poses challenges for VET in terms of its content, design and delivery, it also brings many opportunities. VET can be a catalyst for the green transition, facilitating knowledge exchange and fostering innovation through the interaction between training providers, employers and learners. VET programmes that have green elements and/or prepare students for greener jobs might attract learners who may otherwise not have considered VET, contributing to strengthening the image of VET.
This report, part of the OECD’s broader work on VET and the green transition, explores how Finland’s VET system can further contribute to the country’s environmental goals. It highlights existing strengths, identifies key challenges, and presents tailored policy recommendations to support a sustainable and inclusive transition. The Finnish VET system already provides a strong foundation for the green transition, offering initial training for young people as well as reskilling and upskilling opportunities to adults through its modular and flexible structure. After providing an overview of Finland’s green policy framework, the report analyses the role of VET qualifications and reviews the processes for updating and revising these qualifications to reflect the rapidly evolving skill needs for the green transition. It also discusses the role of higher-level VET qualifications to increase the supply of higher-level technical skills essential for the introduction and scaling up of new green technologies and processes. Furthermore, the report assesses teacher readiness and highlights the importance of accessible, high-quality career guidance focused on green jobs.
This report was drafted by Ivàn Bornacelly, Shinyoung Jeon, Małgorzata Kuczera and Patricio Ruedi from the OECD Centre for Skills, under the supervision of Marieke Vandeweyer (manager of the VET team) and El Iza Mohamedou (Head of the Centre for Skills). The report has benefited from comments provided by Anne Liimatainen and Tomi Ahokas from the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) as well as the Group of National Experts (GNE) on VET. Administrative and editorial assistance was provided by Hudson Hastings and Jennifer Cannon from the OECD Centre for Skills.