Innovating for a Sustainable Future: The Role of ICT and AI in Greening TVET

On 13 November 2024, UNESCO IITE and Wedon Cloud Education Group organized an engaging joint webinar Innovating for a Sustainable Future: The Role of ICT and AI in Greening TVET. The co-hosted online session was proudly held in the framework of the UNESCO-Wedon project, Building Future Schools with ICT Competence and Innovative Pedagogy and the UNESCO IITE flagship webinar series Harnessing Technology to Transform Education.

The date of the international webinar had been set to coincide with the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, where thousands of dedicated professionals from across the world convened under the uniting motto: In solidarity for a Greener World.

As part of the Greening Education Partnership initiative, the webinar focused on the key action pillars 2 and 3: Greening Curriculum and Greening Teacher Training and Education Systems’ Capacities.

UNESCO emphasizes the role of education in supporting all learners to develop adequate knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to adapt to new climate realities and develop innovative solutions for a sustainable future. The opportunity to address an international audience of dedicated stakeholders presents a rigorous platform for advancing the conversation on the role of the education-technology tandem in building climate-smart and resilient systems that equip all learners to actively engage in climate mitigation.

The webinar successfully set out to achieve and delivered on the following objectives:
  1. Examine the Role of ICT and AI in Greening TVET: Explore how ICT and AI can be strategically integrated into TVET curricula and pedagogies to foster green skills, enhance sustainability, and address the demands of the green economy.
  2. Showcase Best Practices and Innovative Approaches: Highlight successful case studies and innovative approaches where ICT and AI have been effectively utilized in TVET to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship.
  3. Identify Challenges and Opportunities: Discuss the challenges in integrating ICT and AI into TVET, including issues related to infrastructure, capacity building, and policy alignment, while identifying opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and scaling of successful initiatives.
  4. Align with UNESCO’s Strategic Priorities: Reinforce the alignment of Greening TVET initiatives with UNESCO’s strategic priorities in ESD, highlighting the need for policy support, global cooperation, and the mobilization of resources to achieve these goals.
The impactful and enriching session was made possible through the expert contributions of the webinar’s distinguished keynote speakers and panelists:

 

      • Webinar experts and panelists. Seven photos in green circles representing seven leaves on a non-traditional treeMr Ilja RIekki, Section of Youth, Literacy and Skills Development, Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, UNESCO HQ
      • Dr Debra Rowe, US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
      • Professor Nicola Walshe, University College London (UCL) Institute of Education, UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education
      • Dr Margarita Pavlova, UNEVOC Centre (Hong Kong), The Education University of Hong Kong
      • Dr Virendra Rawat, Green Mentors
      • Mr Chukwunonso Chikwendu, UNEVOC Centre / Department of Industrial Technical Education, Nigeria; University of Nigeria, Nsukka
      • Mr Gabriel S Konayuma, UNEVOC Centre Zambia, Ministry of Technology and Science, Zambia

 

The highly-insightful and involving participation of the celebrated domain champions ensured that 90 webinar participants:
  • Developed a comprehensive understanding of how ICT and AI can be leveraged to advance greening TVET towards further pursuance of SDGs.
  • Obtained insights into best practices, innovative approaches, and successful case studies that illustrate the effective integration of ICT and AI in TVET.
  • Became better equipped to address the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities associated with the greening of TVET, fostering collaboration among academia, industry, policy and decision makers.
  • Gained inspiration to align efforts with UNESCO’s vision for Greening Education Partnership (GEP), contributing to global SDGs through education.

UNESCO IITE and Wedon Cloud Education Group We take pride in providing a platform for open exploration of current successes and challenges within the event’s theme. By fostering transparent discussions, the partners sought to support TVET professionals and systems worldwide, encouraging the exchange of insights and collaborative solutions. The opportunity to learn from experts across diverse countries and educational ecosystems enriched the session’s relevance and scope, strengthening approaches to shared challenges in digital transformation, environmental sustainability, and skills development.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our guests, participants, viewers, and attendees
for their interest, dedication, and commitment to leveraging emerging technologies to transform TVET for environmental and educational sustainability.

 

For those eager to join us live but unable to attend, we are delighted to share the session recording, ensuring the valuable insights and discussions continue to inspire and extend the webinar’s impact far beyond the event itself