Recommendations for Supporting Green Skills Inclusion in RVA

Abstract

The analysis of the cases presented in Chap. 2 reveals that the richness of individual experiences, developed through environmentally friendly practices, should be captured in the RVA practices. Based on this analysis, this chapter recommends principles for the inclusion of green skills in the recognition, validation and accreditation of non-formal and informal learning in MSMEs. More specifically, it suggests a multi-dimensional approach (macro, meso, micro) that can be included in lifelong learning policies in the seven countries and one territory that participated in the study, but also to be used more broadly by policy makers. The proposed approach goes beyond narrow task-related skills and knowledge to include value-based behaviour and attitudes that are particularly relevant to green skills. Therefore, this chapter proposes recommendations that address the need to provide broad descriptors of knowledge, skills and competences as well as learning objectives that guarantee the future design and further development of RVA policies and practices based on the new opportunities offered in green economic restructuring and SDGs.

Madhu Singh is a deceased author.

1 Background

The list of recommendations suggested in this chapter is the result of the analysis conducted in the case studies, using a three-level-approach (macro, meso and micro), as outlined in the introductory chapter. The data from the cases presented in Chap. 2 of this book as well as the discussions that took place within the three focus groups with experts from each jurisdiction formed the basis for the development of building blocks and recommendations that aim to guide policy and practice on green skills inclusion in RVA. These recommendations relate to actions that stimulate the greening of economy and formal and non-formal TVET, improve the effectiveness of RVA mechanisms and ensure support at different levels, including micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs).

At the macro level, an important starting point in developing the list of recommendations has been the influence of government in integrating the recognition of green skills in economic development strategies such as renewable energy, green infrastructures and ecosystem services and green job growth in enterprises. The emphasis is on enforcing, at the level of country or territory, the political and legislative requirements of green practices in enterprises and green skills inclusion in RVA. Political decisions ensuring the legal basis of RVA in enterprises as well as direct funding, and financial involvement (tax incentives, and carbon taxes) and the governance of green skills recognition will be of crucial importance in promoting sustainable development and mitigating the degradation of the environment. The recommendations also highlight the need for policy instruments to emphasise education and training and the qualifications system in promoting green skills development and skills recognition in small, medium and micro enterprises.

At the meso-level, emphasis is placed on the importance of formalising green/ greener jobs and green skills. Formalisation of green skills and green/ greener jobs through the establishment of new occupational standards and qualifications requirements will help to develop and assess skills required for the labour force to meaningfully participate in green economic restructuring. These standards will be important reference points for new or revised practice. Formalising greener work practices into standards will ensure quality assurance, including quality of input, processes and outputs. On the input side, a growing area of activity around addressing the need for green skills has taken place in the context of greening TVET (technical and vocational education and training), developing green/ greener qualifications and green/greener occupational standards through sectoral bodies such as skill sector councils that are devoted to promoting greening. Company standards measured through ISO quality-management systems are also increasing in importance as they incorporate notions of value chain and skills standards that cut across formal and informal sector activities. Processes will refer to the role of regulatory agencies, inter-institutional relationships and multi-stakeholder partnerships that are important to ensure quality processes in the development of green skills standards and maintaining recognition procedures and tools. Certification and the accompanying entitlements relate to the output side and are an option for individuals and enterprises interested in green practice.

At the micro level, the list of recommendations addresses questions concerning the usefulness of skills recognition for individuals and enterprises, the beneficiaries of green skills recognition. Enabling factors that support the development and recognition of green skills at the micro-level such as relevant information, advocacy, guidance and counselling, training, and financial support are of importance to all organisations (public or private, workplaces, industry, NGOs and community-based organisations, TVET and educational institutions), although the principles target MSMEs.

2 Macro Level—Policies and Laws

• 1. Government to ensure that the country or territory has a definition for the concept of green skills required for different occupations that is related to green growth strategies and green skills.

In the face of pressing economic and environmental challenges, green skills are vital to produce a workforce with skills equally matched with the labour market for the sake of improving environmental conditions and combating climate change. It is important to recognise the prerequisite role of having the right skills as an enabler of smoother transition into the green economy. The case studies highlighted that many jurisdictions are, in general, new to the idea of green skills and this led to an urge for governments to promote the inclusion of green skills into their green growth strategic plans. In turn, providers of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) were also urged to promote green skills but often found themselves constrained by the curricula or training regulations. Clearly, green skills should be applied not only to traditional environmental sectors dealing with energy, resource efficiency and environmental services, but should be extended to jobs in all occupations in those sectors that are not widely known for their high carbon emissions or controversial environmental non-compliance, but which can transform existing practices to become more sustainable. This includes sectors such as manufacturing, trade, construction and others, as well as the four industries surveyed. An explicit green growth strategic plan that specifies the types of green skills required for different occupations will be useful in influencing industries, businesses, employers and employees, workers, educational providers and local communities to recognise existing skills gaps and develop strategies to bridge these gaps.

• 2. Government to establish legislation on the appointment of a skills development department or industrial body to serve as a comprehensive service point for enterprises and companies in advocating greening in the country or territory.

Advocating green skills should be an initiative that is taken at the top governmental level in a bid to have far-reaching impacts. It is strongly recommended, therefore, that a new industrial body or existing skills development department specifically look at demand and supply of green skills. The body will need to be familiar with policy, strategy and administration of the qualifications system to provide recommendations to the qualifications authority responsible for implementing recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) in relation to green skills, on the inclusion of green skills in RVA. In addition, the industrial body will be responsible for conducting studies measuring the impact of green skills recognition on environmentally friendly practices. Hence, the body should recruit relevant green skills experts and advisors who identify the current skills base and anticipate future skills for the green economy. It should also be able to establish close links with enterprises and companies to map the existing green skills gaps and develop corresponding policies and measures. One way is to establish a green skills development board with one person appointed from different governmental departments to sit on this board. Enforcement would signal a clear and strong commitment by the government and would be a good top-down approach to speed up the development and promotion of green skills.

• 3. Develop policies on taxation and financial incentives that are friendly towards the use of green products and technologies.

Environmental taxes and subsidies can be an effective way to steer the economy in the use of green products and green technologies. Environmental taxes have the function of increasing demand for cleaner alternatives and this in turn can result in making green products and technologies more viable and more competitive. Environmental taxes also give incentives to the private sector to develop greener technologies and drive their adoption by companies. Through tax measures, government may be seen to be directing the market in a prescriptive way; hence, these measures require a lot of research on the types of clean technology to be developed and thorough analysis of the risks involved. Only through such researches can comprehensive policies be developed that fit the purpose of promoting the use of green products and technologies. Taxation and financial incentive policies for promoting green products and technologies should also be highly transparent in terms of their coverage and costs and pay attention to acceptance and ownership by the community and all stakeholders.

• 4. Revise existing skills development policies (including qualifications frameworks) in-line with the promotion of green skills and their integration into RVA processes by setting clearly defined targets.

In an attempt to open up and expand green-specific job markets, promote green skills and support the diffusion of green technology, it is imperative that existing skills development policies be revised to strengthen vocational and professional training in green skills. The targets of skills development and skills recognition should be able to address demand and supply of green skills, skills upgrading and development of emerging green skills needed in the future. The policies should also include upskilling for those mid-career employers who will need to adopt environmentally friendly practices or adapt to greener working practices. Based on previous UNESCO publications that have discussed the importance of linking recognition practices to qualifications frameworks, it is suggested that existing skills policies explore further the ways in which recognition of prior green skills acquired through non-formal and informal learning can be credited to lead to formal qualifications. Skill policies should centre on revising existing curriculum and training standards, mobilising public–private partnership in green skills training, incorporating green skills in RVA mechanisms and linking RVA to different key stakeholders, including TVET institutions and providers, education professionals, employers and employees as well as industry and labour associations and associations of small and micro enterprises.

• 5. Develop a government policy together with industry and employer associations aimed at recognising RVA within enterprises (e.g. online portfolios).

Inevitably, the promotion of green skills can be enhanced within enterprises via the development of RVA mechanisms and tools such as job-cards and different portfolios. The RVA process should validate workers’ competences and practical work tasks as well as provide upskilling opportunities to close the skill gaps. With the understanding of the current context in which there is no international classification of green jobs against which green profiles can be measured, RVA tools and mechanisms could, in the future, map existing skills against environmentally friendly practices and skills recommended for different occupations. This initial mapping would show that the workers could fulfil at least half of the requirements for the further validation process to be meaningful; if not the main alternative should be to take the full training programme. The recognition process would lead to the documentation of attainments leading to either a full qualification or partial qualifications i.e. a statement of attainment. Alongside the recognition policy and process, the government needs to build a close relationship with industry leaders, enterprise associations and labour unions to address the challenges of integrating RVA into human resources and career development. RVA tools and mechanisms need to be used in enterprises of different sizes both in formal and informal work settings.

The policy should also stipulate a need for a branding strategy that promotes the country’s or territory’s qualifications frameworks in combination with the inclusion of green skills recognition in the framework. The government should take up a role to have a frequent and close dialogue with industry to enhance the public image acceptance of the qualifications framework by different stakeholders. The RVA policy should also focus on providing enterprises and companies with information about the different qualification levels that use green skills in the description of their levels and job tasks.

• 6. Government to consider providing incentives for green(ing) TVET institutions through grants and additional funding.

It is imperative to harness the potential of TVET for delivering green skills training and provide education tailored to the needs of all industries. This is only possible if governments increase the provision of support and incentives through grants and funding to TVET institutions for them to adopt a holistic approach for greening TVET, including adjustment of learning outcomes to accommodate and incorporate green skills into different subjects and learning activities.

• 7. Governments to consider simplifying approval processes for enabling greening of economy.

Greening of industries requires concerted effort and unanimous support across a diverse range of government departments, from environmental departments to labour, education, innovation, and economic departments. However, inter-ministerial/ departmental collaboration cannot alone reflect the true complexity. For example, the systems of governance in the People’s Republic of China, Malaysia and India are very complex. In these countries, the division between central/ federal, state and local governmental levels has meant that both the relationships between different ministerial departments on the one hand and the extent of decentralisation on the other, have huge impact on the efficiency and flexibility of any policies, including climate and environmental policies, propagated and adopted. In addition, simplification of the approval processes (if applicable) when the industry wants to green its facilities or operations is crucial. Establishing a clear structure (or decentralising the management of green skills implementation to a specified body) is expected to simplify approval processes and effective monitoring of implementation. By minimising conflict of interest among different government departments, increased efficiency in the implementation process as well as better communication and coordination for greening the economy can be expected.

• 8. Governments to recognize RVA certification as a means to increased salary of employees and workers to be reflected in salary scales (to stimulate recognition, validation and accreditation).

As discussed in the previous chapters, mechanisms for RVA can serve as a significant stimulus for individuals to realise their labour market suitability or employability in the context of greening economy and skills. In an attempt to further stimulate the introduction of RVA schemes, a RVA certification that provides a monetary reward for workers’ years of experience, completed training courses and acquired skills can help job satisfaction, career progression and self-confidence. Legislation that ties certification through RVA with salary can greatly benefit workers as it enables certified, competent and experienced workers to benefit from salary rises and greater security of earnings. Enactment of such legislation can facilitate a change in the mode of employment, enabling workers to shift from part-time to full-time jobs. It can offer them better opportunities to move up the career ladder, from lower positions to senior management levels. It can also help them to change from precarious informal sector work to less precarious and more decent jobs in the formal economy.

• 9. Ensure that recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) mechanisms are based on occupational standards that incorporate green skills.

There should be occupational standards that set out skills and knowledge and outcome standards that employees are required to attain in different industrial sectors across MSMEs. For example, in the People’s Republic of China in 2011, a letter of intent was signed with Guangdong Occupational Skill Testing Authority on benchmarking occupational standards in the national qualifications framework. It was decided to establish an RVA system based on occupational standards that specified the number of qualifications under the qualifications framework requiring green skills as well as associated green skill education and training.

3 Meso Level—Advocacy and Support

• 1. Ensure that agencies responsible for analysing existing laws and regulations can also ensure that formulated requirements for workers are included in occupational and certification standards as well as teacher training standards, and are linked to RVA mechanisms (Examples: sector skills councils or inter-sectoral organisations or other regulatory agencies.).

As stated in Sect. 13.1, there is a need to establish a new industrial body or reform the existing agencies that focus specifically on green skill development within the qualification framework of the country or territory. For example, the body can be a council or agency formed by sector skills councils and other cross-sectoral organisations. The agency needs to have a sound knowledge of policy, strategy and administration of qualifications systems and RVA mechanisms in the country or territory for enhancing green skills diffusion into the framework. It also needs to be able to analyse existing environmental laws and regulations that are relevant for different industries in order to ensure that they are reflected in RVA, green skills training and occupational and certification standards. The agency should be able to have the function and authority to recommend or refine environmental laws in accord with preferred industry practices.

• 2. Use existing mechanisms or develop new ones to include green competences in occupational standards.

Establishing and administering occupational standards within a country or territory is usually conducted via accredited industry committees or well-recognised skills councils. For green competences to be fully incorporated into occupational standards and receive certification through RVA, the following steps are suggested:

• develop green competence standards through the joint participation of government, industry experts, associations of enterprises and TVET institutions, and social partners (employer and employee associations);

• develop assessment tools for green competences;

• gain approval from education and training and qualifications authorities;

• ensure the accreditation and registration of green training programmes;

• ensure accreditation of assessors and assessment centres;

• conduct competence assessments;

• ensure that all certificates relating to green skills are issued by accredited awarding agencies.

• 3. Use media to advocate green/greening initiatives undertaken by government and industry.

Mass media has a central role to play in promoting environmental awareness and education. Strategic communication processes are imperative to achieve the best result in terms of green skills inclusion into different occupations. Yet, areas such as ‘greening industry’, ‘green skills’ and ‘green economy’ are reported as not being widely discussed at the local level, and we found little awareness about them in the studied countries and territory. This implies a poor public understanding of the significance of greening jobs and greening vocational and professional education systems. To focus on such issues, the media should enlighten people on greening initiatives in the country or territory, create or help shape an environmentally friendly ideology that can mobilise the public to reduce pollution and mitigate the bad effects of climate change, affirming thereby the significance of mass adoption of green skills in workplaces and enterprises. Media should keep people up to date on the latest green policies and take up a surveillance role in order to keep track of governmental process on inclusion of green skills into the RVA mechanism, as well as monitor and promote green training offered at TVET. Mass reporting on successful case studies of green skills adoption in the world of work needs to be taken up by media. Government and industry as well as associations of enterprises need to also play a proactive role in interacting closely with media in order to bring to its attention good practices in MSMEs.

• 4. Advocacy programmes for enterprises should be designed for creating awareness of potential environmental dangers.

In the light of the global recognition of attaining the goals of sustainable development, it is necessary to design advocacy programmes for enterprises in order to create awareness of potential environmental dangers. In the past, most enterprises have put an emphasis on economic activity that bring profits and have neglected negative impacts on the natural environment. Those enterprises have been responsible for polluting the environment and intensifying climate change, ignoring the fact that their practices threaten lives and put an extra cost to enterprises’ operation and to society as a whole. To attain the goals of sustainable development and alleviate environmental problems, advocacy programmes are essential for enterprises. They should be designed in such a way to create awareness of potential environmental dangers. Such awareness can have the effect on enterprise of leading them to allocate more resources to green jobs and reduce their negative environmental impact. This is expected to result in a greater recognition and understanding of green skills and competences, which in turn will provide a more bottom-up approach to green TVET.

• 5. Establish a platform for green skills competition and awards for successful green enterprises.

To encourage enterprises to practice environmental friendly practices and to introduce more green jobs, it is necessary to establish platforms that recognise and reward the achievements of green enterprises. From an economic perspective, green skills and competences may reduce costs incurred by enterprises, as green skills often help to minimise the use of resources, reduce water and electricity bills. However, this connection between actual environmental practices and the reduction of costs to enterprises could be enhanced through further incentives such as through the establishment of awards for environmentally friendly practices. Establishing platforms for green skills competitions and awards for green enterprises could be an effective way of motivating enterprises to put more resources into developing green jobs and environmentally friendly practices. As well as being recognised as a green enterprise, they will also fulfil their social responsibility.

• 6. Skills councils to develop specific guidelines for enterprises to support green practices, clarifying concepts of green skills (including not only technical knowledge and skills, but also holistic generic skills—cognitive, inter-personal, intra-personal skills and attitudes) and RVA.

A recurring issue in the area of green skills emerging from the countries and territory participating in this research is not merely the focus on conventional environmental industries such as waste management and renewable energy, but also the emphasis on greening of other industries or trades such as catering, automotive, or PVC. For smoother and easier adoption of green practices at workplaces, specific guidelines for enterprises can be very useful. Guidelines can be specific to different industry sectors, making them more relevant for workers to apply in their daily practices. Skills councils should also address the issue of limiting green skills to technical knowledge and skills. Instead, they should promote other green skills such as generic green skills that include attitudes, behaviour, cognitive, inter-personal, and intra-personal skills pertaining to greening the environment. Skills councils need to interact with different industries as well as the public on merits of RVA mechanisms and on how inclusion of green skills into RVA would be beneficial for workers.

• 7. Industry associations to collect a levy to be used by individuals to pay for their RVA process.

For jurisdictions with high unemployment and low emphasis on human resource development at the level of enterprises, a skills development levy serves as a training and education incentive for employees and highlights the importance of promoting a skilled workforce. Since voluntary investment in enterprise training is generally not the case in the participating countries and territory, putting in place a regulatory framework such as a levy scheme would be expected to be more effective in ensuring that industry and enterprises invest in training employees. The levy can be used for implementing RVA processes as they involve resources and time such as information dissemination, guidance, portfolio development, documentation of evidence and verification, coordination, mapping, competence assessment and follow-up. Since RVA processes should not be for profit, the fees could be determined according to the assessment methods used and the level of qualifications to be attained. To encourage companies/enterprises to engage in the training and education of their employees, it will be important for industry and enterprise associations to offer incentives by collecting a levy from companies to support individuals to pay for the RVA process. The levy can also help unemployed and youth to improve their skill-sets.

• 8. Financial institutions to provide financial incentives or advantages to greening of enterprises.

The financial sector needs to take responsibility to help in accelerating the transition towards a low-carbon economy, given that products, services and investments in the economy are directly linked to the lives and futures of individuals, businesses and society. While effects of environmental pollution and lack of sustainability are beginning to emerge, there appears to be a growing awareness that minimisation of negative environmental impacts is a business responsibility. In this context, it will be important to highlight the role that banks can play in providing loans with favourable interest rates and better terms to enterprises to green their operations, services and products as well as create a market of green jobs. So far, most enterprises in our study have been reluctant to invest in green initiatives. However, this could entail the danger of losing the environmental or social missions to the economic mission of enterprises. To avoid this from happening banks could step in to provide low-interest loans to help businesses, especially MSMEs, to initiate energy efficiency retrofits, develop new innovative and eco-friendly products and services, thus helping to contribute to greening the job market. To ensure green finance, the financial sector, especially banks, needs to be knowledgeable about environmental issues, incorporating environmental risks in their asset-allocation decisions. There is also a need to build the confidence of banks for lending money to greening initiatives and projects (that can be partly supported by government).

• 9. Local government to provide financial incentives to companies involved in greening.

While banks are one of the sources of green funds, governments should also provide financial assistance opportunities in the form of tax credits, subsidised loans or grants to businesses to support green initiatives at the company/ enterprise level. Incentives from governments can be in the form of loans or payback schemes whereby taxes are waived for businesses who have invested in energy-saving practices. In the United States, for example, similarly to incentives by the federal government, local governments offer tax credits to industry and manufacturers in the areas of energy efficiency improvements, use of electric cars, installation of renewables, as well as tax deductions if companies meet green standards. It is suggested that loans or incentives should be extended for introducing RVA mechanisms in companies/enterprises as well as for staff training.

• 10. Translation of ‘greening laws’ into local regulations/ ordinances and the monitoring of their compliance.

Environment-related laws need to be properly recognised at the ground level and thus supported and incorporated into local regulations for enforcement. The local body should be authorised to monitor the compliance of green laws and regulations and should design penalties for non-compliance.

• 11. National authorities/state bodies together with associations of enterprises, sector councils, employers and employees’ associations should consider making an RVA certificate a prerequisite for employment of workers who lack certification showing that they have generic green skills, among other skills.

Employees without generic green skills are a huge impediment to efforts in greening industry and the economy. Therefore, it is necessary to be clear about what generic green skills need to be incorporated in RVA and green skills training. As suggested in Chap. 1 on green skills, these need to include:

• cognitive skills such as environmental awareness and awareness of green laws, willingness to learn about sustainable development, innovation skills to identify sustainable opportunities and create new strategies to respond to green challenges, strategic and leadership skills to bring about green change in companies;

• inter-personal skills such as management, marketing and business skills to develop strategies that target economic, social and ecological objectives, and consulting skills to advise managers, co-workers and consumers on green solutions and green technologies;

• intra-personal skills such as adaptability and flexibility towards new changes and awareness of the green laws should be included in the green skills training programmes;

• technological skills such as quantification and monitoring of either waste, energy or water, minimisation of energy, water and materials used, environmental risk management, etc.

To make a difference in the generic green skills levels of employees, government bodies must work with skills councils and industry and enterprise associations to explore the opportunity to make an RVA certificate a prerequisite for workers who have never attained a formal certification before.

• 12. Industry and employers’ associations and trade unions should develop RVA guidelines to reflect greening of enterprises and supporting them in promoting green skills of their employees through RVA.

Guidelines developed by industry and employers’ associations will support MSMEs in reviewing their operations and identifying areas for improvement in relation to greening and skills necessary to implement change. During recruitment and induction processes for new employees MSMEs’ or SMEs’ associations should organise short training courses on greening operations, skills and attitudes required and explain the ways these skills can be recognised via RVA. This training should be also available for existing employees.

• 13. Green skills inclusion in the quality-management system of enterprises (ISO 9001) or other quality-management initiatives.

To speed up the inclusion of green skills into workplaces, it is proposed to reap the benefit of international occupational standards by incorporating green skills under ISO 9001 or other quality-management initiatives. Many businesses apply for an ISO licence as this gives their company or enterprise a higher credibility and recognition in the international context. The goal is to help businesses to become more efficient and improve customer satisfaction. If RVA of green skills were to be included in ISO 9001 or some other quality-management system, it could ultimately drive the global market to go green, as companies would be required to meet the compliance of the ISO standards to attain certification. Inclusion of green skills into ISO standards not only promotes its mass adoption, but also allows companies to identify major risks and develop appropriate green solutions through greening skills and their inclusion in RVA mechanisms.

• 14. TVET regulatory bodies as well as associations of TVET institutions and TVET providers should mainstream green skills and practices in TVET in view of steering graduates towards jobs that incorporate green practices in both rural and urban areas.

In the light of the increasing importance of sustainable development, many sectors and industries are in the process of transitioning to greener practices. This research has found that there is a huge potential for greening jobs in the informal sector, in such industries as catering, manufacturing and automotive. In order to include TVET in a holistic greening strategy for society and to supply qualified talents to green jobs and occupations, it is imperative for TVET regulatory bodies, associations of TVET institutions and TVET providers to mainstream green skills and practices into education and training programmes. In addition to fostering the development of green skills, this will motivate students to contribute to greening the economy in both rural and urban areas, and facilitate the transition to green practices.

• 15. Establish model green TVET institutions to raise awareness among stakeholders the benefits of adopting green practices in the TVET sector.

The TVET sector can explore the opportunity in establishing model green TVET institutions with a holistic approach for greening, including generic green skills and specific green skills training programmes/provision across different disciplines. The training programme or study course can line up with industry partners in delivering the training outcomes. These pilot training programmes allow industries and students to address environmental opportunities, and students can be well informed of any updated green initiatives inside the business. The model TVET institution will create a positive impact in mobilising stakeholders and members of society to understand the merits of adopting green practices and drive the greening curriculum within TVET sectors in the region.

• 16. Support greening of TVET through international cooperation and knowledge-sharing.

To enhance the greening of TVET around the world, international organisations should facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing of experiences. In facing threats of climate change and other serious environmental issues, the importance of greening TVET has been widely recognised over past years. However, the knowledge base and resources on greening TVET in different jurisdictions may differ. For instance, research into and practice of green skills development in some jurisdictions lags well behind that in others, thus hindering greening processes. Therefore, there is a need for international cooperation to facilitate TVET greening. Through international cooperation, best practices could be widely shared, particularly, by means of online resources. These can support TVET institutes from different jurisdictions in effective design of their own curriculum and teaching materials, and adapt them to their peculiar local contexts. Such examples of international cooperation have already started taking place, including at UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for TVET as well as the Colombo Plan Staff College, which are respectively an international organisation and a regional inter-governmental organisation that have begun to provide platforms for international cooperation in the APR and globally.

4 Micro Level—Implementation and Benefits

• 1. Ensure that real benefits, through the inclusion of green skills in RVA, will increase over time for both workers (better incomes, decent work, and career mobility) and employers (productivity, profitability due to the use of green technology).

To protect workers’ jobs and livelihoods in the informal sector as well as to enhance their working conditions through the creation of decent green jobs, it is imperative to include green skills in RVA. In the light of the growing importance placed on greening the economy and promoting green growth, many new jobs and occupations are expected to be created in informal sectors, such as catering, manufacturing and automotive. In many of these new jobs and occupations, the demand for workers with requisite green knowledge, skills and competences is growing faster than the supply, often because the education and training system is not responsive. With the inclusion of green skills in RVA, workers in the informal sector can be helped by complementing the recognition of their previous learning, skills and work experience with short topping-up training in green skills, which can then lead to certification of their skills. This official (certification) as well as social recognition (decent green sector jobs) will protect workers in their jobs as well as be advantageous in raising their incomes, improving their working environment and facilitating their career mobility. The certification of skills of workers in the informal economy needs to be undertaken in relation to skills standards in the qualifications framework of the country or territory as this will, apart from leading to raising environmental standards, give workers the security that the outcome of the recognition process is equal to a recognised standard and meets the skill demands of employers. It also improves their employability in the formal economy as well as promoting their continuing education and training.

• 2. Ensure that businesses, companies and organisations understand the certification and qualifications system of their country or territory.

Associations of industries and enterprises as well as local governments are advised to offer training and seminars to help relevant parties so that they may gain a thorough understanding of the existing certification system. The human resource department, for example, should brief management and employers as well as workers on how the company is to implement RVA. It should explain the merits of undergoing the recognition process. It is essential for enterprises and companies to have strong ties with associations of companies/enterprises and industry as well as government bodies so that the recognition process meets the green skills demands of employers and industry.

• 3. Encouraging enterprise-based learning for promoting compliance with environmental rules and regulations, and for promoting orientation and training programmes for employees on existing policies, acts, rules and regulations as well as their relevance to green practices and green skills.

Capacity building and knowledge transfer are crucial elements for greening enterprises. In order to protect the environment and conserve resources, enterprises have to comply with various environmental rules and regulation. Thus, it is critical that employers and employees comply with rules and regulations and adopt environmentally friendly practices at work. Since employees seldom voluntarily opt for training programmes, it is essential that enterprise-based learning be provided to all employees in the form of orientation and training programmes. With these programmes, employees who have never received green education will have the opportunity to update their knowledge and develop green skills and attitudes, as well as learn about related policies, acts, rules and regulations. Such training aims to result in greening enterprises and enhancing compliance with environmental rules and regulations. Very often, formal training is not responsive to the market realities and skill requirements in enterprises. For this reason too, it is important to promote enterprise-based learning.

• 4. Defining roles and responsibilities of staff and workers in bigger companies for greening.

For bigger companies, a well-designed greening strategy has to be set up, with the roles and responsibilities of staff clearly defined, so that an effective green operation can be achieved. At the executive and management level, a holistic greening strategy should be set up, with policies and regulations tailor-made for each industry sector and work level. Furthermore, the goal of this strategy should be clearly identified, so that the executives and managers can reflect and review progress. Managers and supervisors should have methodological systems and evaluation processes for identifying and recognising green practices and behaviour of employees. Moreover, they should identify and analyse other potential needs/ demands/ requirements for green skills, in order to support the greening strategy of the enterprise. Human resoures departments should offer informed guidance in the area of RVA and develop flexible methods for the recognition of green skills, so that workers’ green skills can be effectively recognised and used in enterprises. Moreover, with these methods, they can assess and hire employees in accordance with the enterprise’s greening strategy.

• 5. Occupational associations and NGOs should take responsibility for implementing RVA in micro enterprises within the informal economy.

As most micro enterprises in the informal economy lack the resources and capacity to conduct RVA, it is suggested that occupational associations and NGOs should take up responsibility for implementing RVA in micro enterprises. As mentioned above, it is important to include green skills in RVA mechanisms. This can benefit workers in several ways. Recognition does not only mean official recognition, but recognition of the person whose knowledge has been validated, who is admitted for a training programme or who is recruited for a more decent and dignified job, e.g. in the waste management sector, or who becomes employable for a better job in the formal economy. All these benefits could be important for strengthening self-confidence. Very often, formal education and training is not responsive to the demands of the informal economy. For this reason, work-based training is necessary. These programmes should include both further learning opportunities based on prior learning assessment as well RVA related to certification. Given the small scale of operation of micro enterprises in the informal sector, the inclusion of environmental and resource conservation concerns within micro enterprises needs to be incorporated into the overall greening strategy of the particular industry sector or within a regional greening strategy of a group of micro and small enterprises. Occupational associations and NGOs should take responsibility for implementing RVA in these enterprises: for instance, they can provide advice and consultancies so that these enterprises can implement RVA adapted to their own context.

• 6. Include green skills in non-formal educational programmes for low-qualified and marginalised workers.

The study established a need for the development of green skills in the informal sector, in such industries as catering, manufacturing and automotive. As a majority of workers in the informal sector are low-qualified and marginalised, it is necessary to conduct green skills training as part of a non-formal education or training programme or follow-up RVA with education and skills training. It is crucial to make participation in non-formal education and training as attractive as possible. All RVA processes within non-formal training should centre on assessment in terms of an extent to which they motivate participation in further education and training. It is important that when education and training programmes are being put in place, a particular focus should be on progression. Training providers need to be able to advise candidates, to mobilise, counsel and register them, to facilitate assessment, offer skill gap training and to complete the certification process. Training providers need to facilitate such individuals to acquire the full qualification through tailor-made bridge courses.

As already mentioned, the benefits of RVA should be made visible to the workers in terms of improvement in their working conditions, and in terms of enhancement in their incomes. Furthermore, with these green skills, low-qualified and marginalised workers will be able to develop environmentally friendly practices in their work, so that resources can be conserved and environmental problems alleviated.

• 7. Implement tax reductions and penalties, to ensure that regulations are met by the companies and incentives are in place to reduce environmental impact through greening of operations.

The use of incentives can motivate enterprises to adopt environmentally friendly practices and reduce their environmental impacts. Generally, the ultimate goal of a company is to maximise their profit: an emphasis on increasing production can often result in environmental problems. Thus, enterprises should be aware of government incentives and use them to adopt greening in their operations. For instance, companies that meet regulations can receive tax reductions, while those companies who cannot meet regulations will be penalised. As a result, companies will be motivated to meet regulations and protect the environment, to reduce their cost.

• 8. Include greening of MSMEs into social responsibility programmes.

MSMEs should put greening at the heart of their businesses and this can be supported by the corporate social responsibility programmes of bigger companies. Corporate social responsibility requires companies to minimise environmental and social risks as part of the supply chain management. It is about sharing business values with the community. In terms of making a difference to the community, big companies should make use of their resources and experiences to guide start-ups and MSMEs on how to green their businesses. Most mega-companies publish their annual business reports, some of which cover their environmental and social effort. Such communication channels to the public and to other companies can drive continuous improvement in the journey to a low-carbon economy.

5 Conclusions

The above list of recommendations is based on principles and enabling factors identified through the research study reported in this book. The recommendations demonstrate that the inclusion of green skills in RVA mechanism requires a complex, multi-faceted approach that expands over three levels and is not limited to questions of RVA methodology, techniques, tools and instruments, but rather acknowledges the existence of policies, frameworks and standards for both greening of economies and skills and RVA, and the relevance of recognition arrangements and their usefulness to the end-user in the workplace. The recommendations also highlight that there cannot be sharp boundaries between the three perspectives—macro, meso and micro. A systemic approach is useful for reflecting on the practice of green skills and RVA activities not only for the individual and the enterprise but also for industrial sectors and for society as a whole.

Principles presented at these levels are closely related, and activities suggested by these principles should support each other. However, this three-level systemic analysis and the resulting list of recommendations serves both, a theoretical understanding of the enabling factors that can facilitate the inclusion of green skills into RVA as well as approaches that can guide practical applications. These principles can serve as a benchmarking tool for a country’s or territory’s evaluation and strategic development plan in support of greening, green skills development and RVA.