ITALY: Eco-program aims to train West African youth
Salesian center taking part in new initiative GreenVET Africa
ITALY
(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education in Italy (CNOS-FAP), a network of technical and vocational institutions, has announced that the organization is participating in the first transcontinental program for Vocational Training and Innovation in Eco-sustainable Waste Management in Africa, known as GreenVETAfrica.
GreenVETAfrica is a two-year project of Erasmus+ and co-funded by the European Commission. Its aim is to foster technical vocational pathways for jobless youth and will train 100 youth from Nigeria and Ghana.
The program was developed by a consortium of three European partners including AREA and CNOS-FAP in Italy and the Mundus Association in Spain in collaboration with four partners in Africa, Whizzy Academy and Presbyterian Relief Services and Development in Ghana and Pan Atlantic University Foundation and Lagos Waste Management Authority in Nigeria.
The training will contribute to what’s known as the Green and Digital Transition (Twin Transition) with the aim of meeting ambitious environmental goals of the European Green Deal and the Europe-Africa Strategic Partnership. The twin transition is key to adopting a circular development model, transforming linear industrial value chains to minimize waste and pollution, make better use of waste generated, and ensure environmental standards. This transition requires skilled professionals at all levels.
The program will further address the gap in environmental studies and technology training, which until now were offered exclusively at the university level. There were no programs available in technical training to respond to job vacancies in the environmental sector, particularly in waste management.
GreenVETAfrica training will focus on innovative program for green waste management and micro-entrepreneurship, which will be pilot-tested with 100 students. At the end of the training activity, the goal is to help graduates enter into the employment sector. Educational materials will then be made available online to promote the replicability of the program in other schools and countries.
“We are very proud of this project, which was born thanks to a solid knowledge of the reality and needs of the labor market in West Africa and a network of international partners of the highest level,” said Adriano Mauro, AREA founder and project coordinator. “Our team is already at work coordinating the project activities and we will also have the opportunity to test an immersive digital solution for distance learning that we are developing.”
To learn more about this project, visit GreenVETAfrica.eu.
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