Recently, the Regional Centre for TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) of the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO VOCTECH) in Bandar Seri Begawan organized intensive training courses on how to adapt vocational training to the growing demands of a greening, more sustainable economy. The courses and seminars included a forum with 70 participants from all 11 ASEAN Member States on “Greening TVET and Institutional Readiness in South East Asia”. The whole series is supported by Germany through GIZ, the German international cooperation agency.

To combat climate change and environmental degradation, greenhouse gas emissions from energy production, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and the building sector have to be reduced considerably all around the world. Greening our economies also requires new thinking, new contents and new equipment in TVET (technical & vocational education & training). Environmental pressures on the one hand and scientific and technological progress on the other hand lead to new professions such as solar engineer and to new topics such as organic agriculture. It is in our joint interest to urgently update our respective vocational training institutions to cope with these developments.