Introduction 

Climate change, resource management and the transition towards more sustainable industries are increasing the importance of environmental knowledge, green skills education, and practical technical skills. Educational institutions need to prepare learners to understand these challenges and apply their knowledge to real situations. 

In response to these priorities, the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), Intel SFI and JP.IK are collaborating on a professional development initiative focused on digital transformation and green skills in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) across Africa. 

The programme, titled “Digital Transformation and Green Skills in TVET: Building Pedagogical Capacity”, introduces educators and institutional leaders to approaches for integrating sustainability, information and communication technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence into teaching. Its activities include online learning, practical assignments and opportunities for participants to exchange feedback. 

The initiative is particularly relevant to green skills education because it connects sustainability with teaching methods and the digital tools that institutions can use to support learning. UNESCO IITE published the programme details in September 2026, with activities scheduled across October and November.

Connecting Green Skills with Technical Education 

Technical and vocational education equips learners with knowledge and practical abilities related to specific occupations and industries. As industries adapt to environmental challenges and changing technologies, training institutions also need to consider the skills required for more sustainable practices. 

Green skills education can help learners understand how technical decisions affect resource use, waste, energy consumption and the environment. Depending on the subject, this may involve learning about efficient production methods, sustainable materials, environmental monitoring or responsible resource management. 

For TVET institutions, integrating sustainability into teaching means connecting these themes with the technical subjects students already study. Environmental responsibility can become part of practical problem-solving rather than remaining a separate theoretical topic. 

For example, learners in a technical programme might examine how material choices affect waste, compare approaches to using resources efficiently or discuss the environmental implications of a production process. The appropriate activity will depend on the curriculum and the skills relevant to the occupation. 

The UNESCO IITE initiative aims to help institutions incorporate sustainability into their programmes through project-based and problem-oriented learning. This approach gives educators a framework for connecting technical knowledge with questions that require investigation and practical decisions. 

Using ICT and AI to Support Green STEM Education 

The programme includes an online course titled “Greening STEM Education with ICT and AI”. Its focus is on using digital technologies to support environmental sustainability within education. 

ICT can help educators present information, organise learning resources and support students in investigating environmental questions. Digital tools may also help learners compare information, document observations and communicate the findings of a project. 

Artificial intelligence can offer additional possibilities, such as assisting with the organisation of information or supporting the exploration of patterns in data. However, AI-generated information needs to be checked, and students should understand that digital tools can produce inaccurate or incomplete results. 

Green STEM education is not simply about adding technology to a lesson about the environment. It involves using science, technology, engineering and mathematics to investigate sustainability questions and develop a reasoned understanding of possible solutions. 

Teachers can guide students through this process by defining a problem, identifying relevant information and asking learners to explain how their conclusions follow from the evidence. Digital tools should support these learning goals rather than become an end in themselves. 

The initiative’s emphasis on ICT and AI alongside sustainability reflects the need to prepare educators to use technology purposefully. It also highlights the importance of helping learners evaluate digital information and consider the environmental implications of technical choices. 

Project-Based and Problem-Oriented Learning 

A central feature of the programme is project-based, problem-oriented learning (PBPOL). This approach organises learning around a question, challenge or practical task that students must investigate. 

Instead of focusing exclusively on explanations and recall, students work through a problem, gather relevant information and consider possible responses. Teachers guide the process, help learners evaluate evidence and encourage them to explain their decisions. 

In a green STEM education setting, a project might examine how a school uses water, how waste can be reduced or how resources could be used more efficiently. Students could identify the issue, gather observations, compare possible approaches and present their findings. 

The value of such activities lies in the thinking involved. Students learn to define a problem, assess information, consider constraints and justify their choices. These skills are useful in technical education because real workplace challenges rarely have solutions that depend on one isolated fact. 

Project-based learning also provides opportunities to connect different subjects. Mathematics can help students interpret measurements, science can explain relevant processes and technology can support research or the presentation of results. 

The UNESCO IITE programme aims to help participants develop adaptable lesson plans using this approach. The goal is to make the learning framework practical for different institutional contexts, including settings with limited resources.

Professional Development for Institutional Leaders 

The programme includes a cohort designed for TVET institutional leaders, including school directors, heads of departments, deans, curriculum leads and senior administrators. 

Leadership is important when institutions introduce new teaching approaches. Educators may need time to develop lesson plans, access to relevant learning materials and opportunities to share their experiences. Institutional leaders can help establish the conditions that allow professional learning to influence classroom practice. 

The leadership cohort began with a webinar on 5 October 2026. Participants then moved into a self-paced learning phase scheduled from 6 October to 1 November, followed by a peer-sharing session on 2 November. 

The programme structure combines guided introduction with independent work and reflection. This gives participants time to engage with the material and prepare work that can be reviewed or discussed with others. 

Professional development is more likely to be useful when participants can connect new ideas with their institutional responsibilities. Leaders can consider how sustainability could be incorporated into existing courses, what support teachers may require and how learning activities could be adapted to their institutions. 

The programme also creates opportunities for participants to exchange approaches and discuss practical challenges. Such collaboration can help institutions learn from one another rather than develop every solution independently. 

Supporting Teachers and Educators Across Africa 

A second cohort is intended for TVET teachers, educators and practitioners. Its first webinar took place on 9 October 2026, followed by a self-paced learning period scheduled from 12 October to 5 November. A final webinar is planned for 6 November. 

The teacher-focused cohort allows the programme to address classroom implementation directly. Teachers are responsible for translating broad sustainability goals into lessons, activities and assessments that are appropriate for their learners. 

An educator might need to decide how to explain an environmental concept, select a suitable project or assess whether students have understood the technical principles involved. Training can help teachers plan these activities and reflect on how well they support learning. 

The programme combines live interactive sessions with self-paced modules and practical submissions. Participants are expected to develop adaptable project-based, problem-oriented lesson plans and share aspects of their institutions’ development. 

According to UNESCO IITE, attendees will receive an official course certificate, with the opportunity to be selected as a TVET Innovation Champion. The programme is conducted in English.

These arrangements provide a structured way to connect professional learning with practical outputs. However, the longer-term effect will depend on whether educators can apply the approaches in their own classrooms and receive the support needed to continue using them. 

Making Sustainability Education Practical in Resource-Constrained Settings 

Educational institutions do not all have access to the same equipment, connectivity or teaching resources. Approaches that depend on advanced technology may be difficult to implement in some settings. 

The programme explicitly aims to support the integration of sustainability and project-based learning even in resource-constrained environments. This makes adaptability an important consideration. 

Many sustainability-related learning activities can begin with observations and questions drawn from the local environment. Students may examine waste management practices, consider water use or investigate how materials are used in a familiar process. The teacher can then connect those observations with relevant technical and scientific concepts. 

Digital resources can extend the investigation where access is available, but a learning activity should not depend entirely on technology if the institution cannot provide it consistently. Teachers can combine digital research with discussion, printed materials, direct observation and collaborative work. 

This flexible approach can help keep the learning objective central. The goal is to develop learners’ understanding of sustainability and their ability to apply technical knowledge, not simply to introduce a particular device or platform. 

For TVET institutions, local relevance is also important. Projects should reflect the needs of learners and the industries or communities they are likely to encounter. Professional development can support educators in adapting broad sustainability principles to these different contexts. 

Building Green Skills for Sustainable Development 

Green skills education can contribute to sustainable development by helping learners understand the environmental dimensions of technical and professional decisions. It can also encourage students to consider how efficiency, materials, energy and waste influence the performance of a process. 

In vocational learning, these ideas can be connected with occupational practice. Students can consider how a task might be performed safely and efficiently, identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary resource use and explain the reasoning behind a proposed improvement. 

Teachers can strengthen this learning by asking students to support their decisions with evidence. A project should encourage learners to compare options and recognise limitations, rather than assume that every proposed solution will work in all circumstances. 

The UNESCO IITE programme brings together sustainability, digital learning and pedagogical development. Its focus on both institutional leaders and educators recognises that curriculum planning and classroom practice need to support one another. 

If the approaches developed through the programme are applied consistently, they could help participating institutions strengthen practical learning and make sustainability more visible within technical education. 

Conclusion 

UNESCO IITE and its partners are using professional development to encourage African TVET institutions to integrate sustainability, ICT and AI into teaching. The programme combines webinars, self-paced learning, practical submissions and peer exchange, with separate cohorts for institutional leaders and educators. 

Its emphasis on project-based and problem-oriented learning offers a way to connect green skills education with practical investigation and technical problem-solving. The approach also recognises the need for adaptable teaching methods in institutions with different levels of resources. 

The next challenge is to translate professional learning into regular classroom practice. With relevant projects, teacher support and thoughtful use of digital tools, TVET institutions can help learners understand sustainability while developing skills they can apply in technical and workplace settings. 

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