The project objectives are: - To develop and implement new and innovative professional courses for the waste sector in line with EU Waste Framework Directive. - To improve the level of competencies and skills at municipality level in the field of sustainable WM. - To close the gap between the needs for new knowledge, lack of educational programs and challenges of target groups in sustainable waste management. The aim is the education of the target groups: representatives from waste or environmental department within municipalities, VET schools/teachers/trainers and decision makers, for sustainable WM in line with the national and EU policies, and in long-term contributing to the development and management of waste resources on both a local and global scale. Development and implementation of this project is sustainable investment for the future, because it will be highly effective program developed according to the needs and possibilities of the partner countries in the field of waste management. Project responses for the EU needs regarding the digitalisation of such sector like education which is the heart of the EU’s climate leadership.
EU countries are facing the problem of practical skills for sustainable implementation of Waste Management as well as lack of knowledge on how to implement the requirements of the established legislation. Among the problems that municipalities face is the lack of sufficient education of its staff, in order to understand the economic, social and environmental benefits of reuse and recycling and the existing solutions. Our international consortium wanted to develop, within the ENCOURAGE project, the Courses for Sustainable Waste Management for Municipalities as well as for VET education. According to the assessment in the project partner's countries, there is missing or insufficient WM educational programs integrated and offered to municipalities and public companies in the partners’ countries which would allow employees to acquire the needed competencies and increase their productivity while enabling sustainability for their local community. In accordance with the above mentioned the contribution to a higher level of education/training in the field of waste management is insufficient and calls for an urgent reaction, to build up capacities and match both short-term and long-term needs for WM experts.