

Welcome to Rhodes!
A Vocational Education Training Agenda of Future Skills for Green Transition
Employers today expect their future workforce to have the new skills needed to meet the green transition challenge. VET Colleges and schools expect employers and international stakeholders to engage in a dialogue with VET Colleges and Schools and support the updating of education and training programmes and add new ones. This process requires a well-planned course of action by all stakeholders – employers, policy-makers, training providers and national and international players. Training providers are facing the dilemma of what education and training programmes to offer which address green transitions and the needs of tomorrow. Employers are on the other hand finding it difficult to predict the skills of a green future and lament that they are still not finding the skills they need today. This narrative has been on the table far too long. It is mostly because in a world dominated by uncertainty and fast technological development planning by training providers and employers is hard to get it right.
This annual conference will bring together stakeholders who can shed light on a joint approach (employers/training providers) which would mitigate the gap between the provision of skills and the skills needs in the labour market. Work-based learning can provide an excellent platform for a VET agenda of future skills for green transitions. But, there are certainly other means to attract employers to training provision and vice versa to design a better future for tomorrow’s workforce and our quality of life.
Speakers
Programme
- Day 01
Wednesday 25/10/2023 - Day 02
Thursday 26/10/2023 - Day 03
Friday 27/10/2023 - Day 04
Saturday 28/10/2023
Wednesday 25/10/2023
Thursday 26/10/2023
Friday 27/10/2023
Saturday 28/10/2023
- Day 01
Wednesday 25/10/2023 - Day 02
Thursday 26/10/2023 - Day 03
Friday 27/10/2023 - Day 04
Saturday 28/10/2023
Wednesday 25/10/2023
Thursday 26/10/2023
Friday 27/10/2023
Saturday 28/10/2023
Day 01
Wednesday 25/10/2023
- 12:00
Registration*
- 15:30 - 17:00
Preparatory meeting: good practices in greening initiatives from EfVET members and not EfVET members
Chaired by EfVET President the panel discussion will focus on a sharing of management experiences on green initiatives among EfVET members including the new Executive Director of EfVET Paolo Nardi, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Greece Lithuania and Switzerland Board Members.
15:15 – 15:45
Coffee break
- 17:15 -18:15
Members’ Forum
EfVET of the future: Co-creating a roadmap
Welcome and information session
An open discussion chaired by Vibeke H Norgaard, Arja Flinkman, Stefano Tirati and James Calleja and Paolo Nardi, Executive Director EfVET.
17:00 - 18:00
Break
- 19:00 -23:00
Official Opening of the EfVET Conference and Reception followed by dinner.
Speakers: The Greek Authorities and Organisers and EfVET President.
Day 02
Thursday 26/10/2023
- 09:00 – 09:30
Welcome to Rhodes and Official opening Conference
Panagiotis G. Anastassopoulos, EfVET Treasurer and Greece National Representative
Greek Regional and Greek Government Authorities
Joachim James Calleja, President of EfVET
- 09:30- 10:15
Keynote speaker
Future Skills for Green Transitions
Greece (tbc)
- 10:15– 10:30
Coffee break
- 10:30- 12:00
Future skills for green transitions – an agenda for VET.
Panel discussion chaired by Stefano Tirati, Vice President EfVET.
Borhene Chakrom, Director of Policies and Lifelong Learning System Division at UNESCO-HQ (tbc)
Georgios Zisimos, ETF Head of Policy Advice & EU Programming Unit
Kenneth Barrientos, Programme Officer, Team Leader for SDGs and Greening TVET, UNESCO-UNEVOC (tbc)
Carlamaria Tiburtini, Senior HRBP Commercial, Programs, Finance, Legal, Compliance & Communication, AvioAero a GE Aviation Business
Kari Puumalainen, Director of Ylä-Savo Municipal Federation of Education and Principal of Ylä-Savo Vocational College
Open discussion
- 12:15 – 13:00
Networking corner - informal opportunity for future cooperationNetworking corner
- 13:00 – 14:30
Lunch break
- 14:30 -16:00
Breakout sessions I
Workshop 1 : Well-Being of Managers, in promoting skills for Green transitions. Ways of foreseeing and making successful strategies in VET for green transitions.
Arja Flinkman, EfVET Vice-President and CEO & Chief Principal
Annemaija Summanen, PhD/ Working ability specialist, Jyväskylä University
CEO, AMS Henkilöstöpalvelut Oy
Rapporteur: Arja Flinkman, EfVET Vice-President and CEO & Chief Principal
- 16:00 – 16:20
Coffee break
- 16:20 -17.45
Breakout sessions II (continued)
Workshop 1: Well-Being of Managers, in promoting skills for Green transitions. Ways of foreseeing and making successful strategies in VET for green transitions.
Arja Flinkman, EfVET Vice-President and CEO & Chief Principal
Annemaija Summanen, PhD/ Working ability specialist, Jyväskylä University
CEO, AMS Henkilöstöpalvelut Oy
Rapporteur: Arja Flinkman, EfVET Vice-President and CEO & Chief Principal
- 18:30 - 19:30
Reception
Day 03
Friday 27/10/2023
- 09:00 – 10:30
Roundtables
Each roundtable will discuss different aspects of how VET Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities of Applied Sciences are moving towards green transitions for green economies. Which programmes, events, activities, continuous professional development is taking place to create a green culture. Which challenges must be met and which resources are needed to achieve a new mind-set? Are VET institutions ready to promote a green economy?
Other Roundtable themes related to future skills will also be organised.
- 10:30 – 11:00
Coffee break
- 11:00 – 12:30
Marketplace
- 11:00 – 12:30
Policy Discussion on the future of VET(Leaders & Managers)
- 12:30 – 13:30
Meetings of National EfVET Boards
- 13:30 – 15:00
Lunch break
- 15:00 - 15:45
Sharing of National EfVET Boards on initiatives and organised events
- 15:45 - 16:00
Announcement of the winners of the VET Learners competition of Greening Tourism Events and Sustainable Development
Organised by the EfVET Tourism Thematic Team, Nicola Alimenti, Tiny Wezenberg and Timo Paakkanen (Coordinators)
- 16:00
Short concluding remarks by EfVET President: the key messages from the Annual Conference 2023
Announcement of the 2024 EfVET Annual Conference venue
- 16:00 – 16:30
Coffee break
- 16:30 – 18:00
EfVET General Assembly
- 19:00
Gala Dinner
Day 04
Saturday 28/10/2023
- 9:30 – 15:30
Cultural Excursion and Lunch
IALYSOS
Roundtables
This is the opportunity for conference delegates to learn about interesting initiatives, colleges and project promoted by EfVET members.
European project partners can use Round tables to disseminate progress, results and products of their Transnational Transfer of Innovation; Development of Innovation and other European initiatives – a key to successful valorisation of project outcomes and sustainability.
Marketplace
Our marketplace will give you the opportunity to network and share ideas with other conference members. During the session you will all have the opportunity to meet with other delegates to pitch potential project ideas. This will allow us to build new partnerships and networks to support the increasing need for VET to provide the new skills required for the labour Market.

Nicola Alimenti
