The overall objective of TRANS4GREEN was to integrate transversal green skills into tourism VET in Bulgaria, Turkey, and Lithuania, enabling learners and graduates with diverse profiles to benefit from emerging career opportunities in sustainable tourism. To achieve this, the project aimed to develop a transferable methodology for teaching transversal green skills in tourism VET and to create a customised, scenario-based learning toolbox applicable in face-to-face, online, and hybrid settings – based on the rationale that transversal skills can be trained in both formal and informal settings. A key was to address the green-skills development needs of regular VET learners, employees participating in on-the-job training, and disadvantaged learners. The project also sought to raise awareness among VET and in-company training providers of the importance of systematic, practice-oriented green-skills development in tourism. In the long term, TRANS4GREEN contributes to increasing the relevance of VET and CVET to the sustainability needs of tourism, aligning training with ESCO, promoting inclusive and holistic learning approaches, and strengthening the capacity of VET institutions and tourism businesses to adapt to the green economy.
The project partnership applied for this project based on the shared understanding that sustainability is an underlying principle shaping how businesses operate. Its integration into profession-related education is therefore essential, particularly in human-centred sectors such as tourism. Despite growing pressure for a sustainability transition, progress in tourism remains slow. One key challenge is that green skills development is often profession-specific, while existing VET programmes tend to focus on general sustainability awareness and neglect structured green skills training (ILO, 2023). As a result, learners and employees are insufficiently prepared to apply sustainable practices in their daily work. This gap is especially evident among disadvantaged learners and low-skilled employees in tourism, who often lack access to adapted training materials and inclusive learning opportunities. To address these needs efficiently, project partners focused on transversal green skills that can be easily integrated into common vocational subjects. By linking the project outputs to the ESCO framework, the project ensures alignment with existing tourism qualifications and supports transferability across Europe.