Framework development for European quality assurance in VET towards environmentally sustainable economy

This paper presents development of a new framework based on the principle that training contributes to the development of human capital, enhances social cohesion and should also pursuit financial sustainability and environmental responsibility. The methodology of research consist in literature review in relevant scientific journals and a qualitative study of seven vocational education training (VET) providers from six different European countries, which are partners in the [European Quality Assurance in VET towards new Eco Skills and Environmentally Sustainable Economy] eQvet-us project. It allowed identifying the areas and performance indicators of a framework for sustainability assessment of VET organizations.

The eQvet-us framework is settled based on the three pillars of sustainable development: social, economic and environmental, embedded in the seven social responsibility core subjects referenced in ISO26000, adapted to training delivery context. It has been structured in four main phases, each of them corresponding to the four phases of the quality cycle. For each correspondence with the core subjects of social responsibility eQvet-us framework establishes a specific indicator and a set of guiding questions, to support the self-evaluation process of VET providers in regards to the implementation of a sustainable model to continuously improve quality in VET. The implementation results of the eQvet-us framework in a VET organization is presented which evidences the main conclusions in each pillar as regards environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability.

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