00:00Just one hour away from Copenhagen, a vocational education and training center is turning Danish students into craftspeople.
00:09I've always been creative and practical with my hands and then I thought I want to learn a trade.
00:16Then Glacier popped up and it looked really interesting.
00:20I really like the work. It's not like other types of construction works, typically a lot of manual labor.
00:27We do have a few heavy lifts here and there, but mainly it's quite nice work.
00:35It's never too late to learn new stuff and when you're open-minded, it's always a possibility.
00:43As Europe works to cut carbon emissions, the demand for skilled workers is greater than ever.
00:48Vocational education and training centers across the EU are leading the way, preparing students to drive the energy transition.
00:57About 180 people are enrolled at this school, learning the skills industries are often looking for, such as glazing, roofing and construction.
01:09Students split their time between the classroom and the workplace, discovering there are plenty of opportunities beyond the traditional academic path.
01:17And it's attracting people from all walks of life.
01:21I studied philosophy and history and then I also wanted to get something more of a permanent steady job.
01:30But that's quite hard, being a philosopher or having studied philosophy.
01:35When you work as a glacier, it's a practical trade.
01:38And you feel like you get a more instant satisfaction working with your hands and you can see the results more vividly.
01:48I always knew I wouldn't go the academic way.
01:51I've always been better with my hands.
01:53It's good we start pushing more for the green energy and for the environment.
01:58It's a big part of our job and it's going to perhaps change how we work.
02:03Although vocational education often provides a more secure path to employment than traditional academics,
02:11it continues to suffer from low enrollment and visibility.
02:15The Clever Hands for the Future initiative, coordinated by this school, aims to change that.
02:20Backed by 1.95 million euros from the EU's Social Fund Plus,
02:25the three-year project uses new ways to shine a light on vocational careers.
02:29The goal of the project is to recruit a lot of young people to take a job.
02:38The first goal is to make a collaboration between our EUD-league and the schools.
02:46So they are connected to a class and have a long-veje relation,
02:50where they come out and show the young people,
02:53that it's great to go to work.
02:54So we try to analyze through our job centers,
02:58where we have the job centers in the schools,
03:01and then we try to do the job work.
03:03And on the way they can move on to those who are going to get a job.
03:09Between 2021 and 2027, the EU is investing more than 150 billion euros in education and skills,
03:17with a strong focus on vocational education and training.
03:21To tackle skill shortages, especially in the energy and digital sectors,
03:26the European strategy supports both funding and the harmonizing of qualifications across member states.
03:32Education is not an EU competence.
03:35It's the competence of governments, of regions.
03:38And there's a lot of important discussions among member states.
03:42Okay, but if we have, you know, European cooperation and exchanges and a European vocational degree,
03:49how do we make sure that we are able to,
03:51and if we want to have recognition of qualifications,
03:54that we have these quality systems aligned?
03:57Most importantly, you need to build trust between educational systems,
04:02but for the average person, what is important is that it can travel with his or her diploma degree throughout member states,
04:10wherever the industry or the job is better suited to what they're skilled for.
04:15The EU is also working to get more vocational students involved in international programs like Erasmus Plus
04:22and to close the gender gap that still affects many trades.
04:26For Robert, this kind of support sends a strong signal to those wanting to explore alternative paths in life.
04:33The message I would like to tell is to think about it and there's more options than you think.
04:40And maybe you have overlooked a good option that could be a really good way for your future working life.
04:46Europe's future depends not just on technology and craft,
04:49but on people with the skills to make them work.
04:52Investing in vocational education and training today builds the workforce of tomorrow.
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