Green4ADU Focus Group Calls For Practical Green Skills And Real Job Pathways
Green4ADU Focus Group Calls For Practical Green Skills And Real Job Pathways
Green4ADU Focus Group Calls For Practical Green Skills And Real Job Pathways
Participants Stress the Need for Impact, Inclusion and Stronger Links to Employment
On 22 April, the Erasmus+ funded Green4ADU project held an online focus group bringing together educators and practitioners to reflect on how sustainability education for adults can move beyond awareness and into practical, measurable impact.
The discussion formed part of a broader initiative now in its second year, focused on upskilling low-skilled adult learners with green competences and preparing them for a rapidly changing labour market.
As Cha-Hsuan Liu, Associate Professor of Applied Sciences, explained, the project is now shifting from development to consolidation.
“We already had workshops in the beginning to understand how educators are thinking about green technology and sustainability… and now we are trying to recommend better green strategies as a final output of the project.”
She added that the aim is not only to deliver content, but to ensure that learners feel included in sustainability transitions that often remain abstract or disconnected from everyday working life.
Building green skills for adult learners
A key focus of the project is practical upskilling for adults who may not be in formal education or high-skilled employment.
A major milestone has already been the launch of the online learning platform featuring six self-paced modules available in multiple languages, including English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and Greek. The platform allows learners to study independently and receive certification upon completion.
'People need something practical that relates to them'
Across the focus group, participants repeatedly stressed that sustainability education must be grounded in real-life relevance.
One participant working in community energy coaching in the Netherlands said engagement depends on clear, tangible benefits.
“People always need something practical that relates to them. The benefit needs to be very clear.”
He argued that adult learners are more likely to engage when sustainability is linked to everyday concerns such as energy costs, housing efficiency or employability, rather than abstract environmental concepts.
Skills without job pathways
A recurring concern was the gap between training and employment outcomes.
One participant reflected on earlier programmes: “It failed because it couldn’t create sustainable jobs, and they all left.”
Another added that without clear pathways into paid work, participation becomes unrealistic for many learners:
“If it becomes voluntary work, most people won’t do it.”
The discussion highlighted a structural issue across green skills initiatives: while training opportunities are expanding, links to stable employment remain uneven.
From awareness to behaviour
Participants also pointed to the persistent gap between environmental awareness and everyday behaviour.
Even in structured environments, sustainability systems are often not followed consistently.
“People see the labels and know what should go where, but they just do not care.”
This disconnect between knowledge and action was described as one of the most difficult challenges in sustainability education.
Making learning more interactive
Educators emphasised the need for more interactive and applied learning approaches, particularly for adult learners.
Methods discussed included case studies, group-based learning and “market-style” classroom formats where students actively exchange knowledge rather than passively receive it.
Participants said such approaches create stronger engagement and deeper understanding compared with traditional lecture-based teaching.
System design and institutional responsibility
The discussion also moved beyond individual behaviour to system-level design.
A simple example captured this shift in thinking:
“If you put the lift behind the hallway, people will take the stairs,” Liu explained.
Participants also stressed that institutional and policy backing is essential if sustainability training is to succeed at scale.
Without visible commitment from employers, public bodies and organisations, programmes risk lacking credibility and long-term impact.
Next phase of the project
The project is now preparing for its next phase. In 2026, local workshops will take place across partner countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain and Greece. These sessions will build on earlier findings and feed into final recommendations and training tools.
WUP 26/05/2026
by Erene Roux
©WUAS Press
Tags
#SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
#SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production
#SDG13: Climate Action
#Internationalisation
#Ethics
#research
#ResearchCentre
#Erasmus+
670 words