Building a Greener Future, One Classroom at a Time
Stichting Technotrend, based in Utrecht, has developed a comprehensive Green Skills teaching programme for teachers and students in Dutch VET (vocational education and training) programmes focused on construction, housing, and interior design. The programme is built around a module series of five units plus a final event, designed to be delivered flexibly over one week to one and a half months depending on the school’s needs and schedule.
The premise is simple but important: the sustainability transition is rapidly transforming the construction sector, and students training for construction careers need to develop circular and sustainable skills — the so-called “green skills” — that are already in demand in the field. Technotrend brings these skills into the classroom by connecting students with practitioners, real-world cases, and genuine professional challenges.
Teachers and Students as Co-Researchers
One of the most innovative features of the Technotrend model is the role assigned to the classroom teacher. Rather than positioning the educator as the knowledge-holder and the external facilitator as a supplementary resource, the programme invites the teacher to become a co-researcher alongside their students — investigating together how education in their field can be made more sustainable. The external party leads the sessions; the teacher participates in the same discovery process as the students. This creates a powerful levelling effect: students see their teacher engaged in genuine learning, and teachers experience sustainability not as a topic imposed from above but as a live professional challenge.
Students work on real cases connected to local companies, which are brought in to provide guest lectures and present practical situations. This connection to the labour market not only enriches the learning but also opens doors: in a sector facing significant workforce shortages, companies that engage with Technotrend’s programme discover motivated students, and students encounter professionals who are genuinely interested in them.
Challenges and Lessons
The diversity of the programme — adapted to each school’s specific curriculum and professional context — is both its strength and its challenge. Finding the right companies and practitioners for each iteration requires effort, and not all teachers embrace the co-researcher role with equal readiness. The programme works best when educators are willing to step into a degree of uncertainty alongside their students — an attitude that Technotrend actively seeks to cultivate.
Relevance for Sustainable Learning
Technotrend connects to SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). It is a clear model for how vocational education can evolve to meet the demands of a green economy.
Website: stichtingtechnotrend.nl
