Final Conference of the Project “Improving the Framework for Sustainable Secondary Vocational Education with a Focus on the Green Transition”
The final conference of the project “Improving the Framework for Sustainable Secondary Vocational Education with a Focus on the Green Transition” was held on December 9 at Hotel Zenica.
The conference aimed to present the project’s achievements, bring together key stakeholders from the fields of education and the economy, facilitate the exchange of experiences, and open discussions on future directions of action. Special emphasis was placed on strengthening cooperation between educational institutions and businesses (“two learning venues”) and on the role of vocational education in the green transition.
During the presentation of results, particular attention was given to the Strategic Guidelines for Mobilizing Businesses to Participate in Practical Training for Secondary Vocational Education Students in ZDK, developed through cross-sectoral collaboration. The presentation highlighted activities launched through the Action Plan as well as the planned next steps for 2026.
The event featured three panel discussions addressing:
• the motivation of the business sector to participate in educating the future workforce,
• the green transition in vocational education, and
• the role of industry mentors in secondary vocational education.
The central panel, “Green Transition in Vocational Education,” presented key documents developed jointly by representatives of the education and business sectors, including:
• “Cross-occupational Green Competencies and Learning Outcomes with Recommendations for Their Integration into the Secondary Vocational Education and Training System”, and
• Recommendations for Integrating Cross-occupational Green Learning Outcomes into the Curriculum for the CNC Operator Occupation.
Based on these recommendations, beginning in September 2026, students of the Public Mixed Secondary Industrial School Zenica enrolled in the CNC Operator program will begin adopting green learning outcomes—an important step towards a more modern, sustainable, and labor-market-oriented education system.
Awards were presented to the best organizers of practical training and to mentors for outstanding mentorship, as well as certificates of appreciation to the project’s partners.
The conference was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy of ZDK, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of ZDK, the Ministry of Labor, Social Policy and Refugees of ZDK, the Ministry of Education and Science of TK, the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the municipalities of Sanski Most and Breza, the cities of Visoko and Zavidovići, the chambers of commerce of USK and TK, the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of UNSA, secondary vocational schools from the ZDK region, companies from ZDK and SBK, NGOs, GIZ, and the Chamber of Commerce of ZDK.
The project is implemented by the Chamber of Commerce of ZDK from January 2024 to January 2026, within the program “Sustainable Economic Development and Employment Promotion” (SEDEP), which aims to improve employability in BiH by supporting the digital and green transformation of the economy. The program is co-financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government of Switzerland, and implemented by GIZ. Part of the project activities focuses on strengthening vocational education and training (VET) to ensure a qualified workforce essential for the sustainable economic development of the country.
