A period of uncertainty and crisis, driven by climate change and other environmental damage, is forcing us to rethink our socio-economic models (Raworth, 2017). Although vocational activities are a driver of this crisis, more sustainable practices can be developed through technological, economic, and social innovation (Slopinksi et al., 2020). Situated at the intersection of education and work, VET has transformative potential if apprentices as part of the future workforce are prepared for the challenges ahead (Rebmann & Schlömer, 2020). However, sustainability education (SE) often faces institutional barriers (Curnier, 2017) and pedagogical challenges as it requires changes in professional practices that are difficult to achieve (Durisch, Gauthier et al., 2022). SE aims to provide knowledge and raise concern about the environmental urgency and its interrelationship with socio-economic issues, to empower apprentices to understand the complex and controversial issues surrounding the crisis, and to enable them to navigate an uncertain world and to act in accordance with their concerns (de Haan et al., 2021).

There is little research on how apprentices understand the ecological crisis and how they perceive the potential of their vocational activities to build a more sustainable future (Slopinksi et al., 2020; Vogel, 2017). We also do know little about how apprentices experience SE during VET and SE changes their perceptions. SE in the context of VET has been criticized for focusing too much on developing operational skills for labor market demands and neglecting controversies and contradictions between environmental, economic, and social interests and alternative socioeconomic models (Schütt-Sayed, 2019). VET also seems to rarely enable self-directed participation and emancipatory self-development (Ketschau & Steib, 2022).

Based on a qualitative study with apprentices involved in different dual VET programmes in Switzerland, this presentation provides insights into apprentices' environmental concern in relation to their vocational activities and the impact of sustainability learning experiences during VET. Environmental concern has cognitive, affective, and conative dimensions (Franzen & Bahr, 2024). It involves recognition of human impact on the planet and people, can include feelings of personal concern and an intention to act. The aim of the study is to identify potentials and barriers within VET that enable apprentices to develop a conscious, reflective, and committed attitude towards sustainability in the context of their vocational activities.

This ongoing research, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, follows the principles of grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014). In a first phase of data collection in 2024, eight group discussions and 18 individual interviews with apprentices were conducted. Data analysis changed between phases of open, more inductive coding with focused, more deductive coding.

Results show that family socialization and prior environmental concern already shape apprentices’ concern for environmental problems and their motivation to act in vocational contexts. Moreover, environmental concern does not simply emerge carrying out environmentally friendly work practices, but only develops in the context of expansive learning opportunities, in which the workplace plays a key role (Fuller & Unwin, 2003). Opportunities for active participation and in-depth reflection on environmental issues, including exposure to controversy and conflicting interests, allow for deeper understanding and the development of a sense of agency and hope that more sustainable vocational practices can mitigate the ecological crisis. The findings show that the potential of VET to raise environmental concerns is rarely fully realised. Apprentices often observe that firms place little emphasis on environmental sustainability, seeing it as incompatible with economic interests. For those concerned about the ecological crisis, this lack of attention is difficult and reinforces their sense of hopelessness. For others, it legitimises the idea that economy and ecology are difficult to reconcile, minimising the need for their involvement in the issue.

This research explores the role of education institutes in influencing students' behaviour toward green careers through green(ed) curricula and green campuses based on the dimensions of the greening education institute model (Pavlova, 2017). Findings derive from a quasi-experiment performed at the University of Tirana with students of the Faculty of Economy. Targeted students were exposed to a greened curriculum in two subjects (namely, Human Resource Management and Innovation). Greening the curriculum in this context implies refining objectives related to sustainability and updating content and methodologies accordingly (Cotgrave & Alkhaddar, 2006). Subject-relevant concepts and practices about climate change and green economy were integrated into these classes. Furthermore, learner-oriented teaching and learning methods were enhanced, such as interaction with experienced professionals as guest lectures in sustainable practices in the world of work; study visits at companies that apply green processes and technologies, reflective assignments, case studies written by students on observed green practices at work, and generation and presentation of green start-up ideas in students' competitions.

Based on its previous application to explain career choices (Alimehmeti et al., 2025; Arnold et al., 2006; Lahiru et al., 2018), the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) was used as a framework to understand how green curricula and green campuses influence students' intention to seek for and further develop in jobs that apply sustainable and environmentally conscious practices (green career). As per TPB, intentions to choose employment or self-employment in these types of jobs, would be determined by positive or negative attitudes a person has toward working in green(er) jobs; subjective norms, representing the social pressure to choose a green job; and perceived behavioural control (PBC), related to the perceived compatibility with green job requirements or even existence of such jobs in the labour market. Green skills enhancement through green curricula and applied practices to green the university campus (e.g. recycling, green building) were the added antecedents (see Yuriev et al., 2020 for TBP expansion). Another objective of this study was to test the framework for green skills developed by Swisscontact according to which i) green skills development is effective if there is demand through the existence of green(er) jobs, and ii) attitudes and green mindset are in the basis of green skills that can be enhanced by skills related to processes and specific occupations or technologies.

A structured questionnaire measuring TPB variables, green skills, and students' perceptions of a green campus was performed at the courses' beginning and end. Respondents (319 before and 438 after) were students who benefitted from the intervention and students used as a control group. Principal Component Analysis confirmed the variables, while regression analysis verified the causal effects.

Results:

• Attitudes, subjective norms and PBC toward green careers impact students' intention to pursue this type of career
• Greening the curricula contributes to improved green skills
• Green campus practices have a strong impact on students' attitudes, subjective norms and PBC toward pursuing green jobs before and after the intervention
• Before the intervention, green skills did not impact determinants of intentions to choose greener jobs, but the impact was verified after the intervention.

Findings are crucial in understanding how green education influences students' green behaviour. A green(ed) curriculum impacts students' skills. Guest lectures or company visits are effective and can be integrated as green career guidance mechanisms (see Chang & Mann, 2024). Furthermore, studying on a campus that applies green practices effectively contributes to attitudes and community norms toward sustainability and perceived self-efficacy in choosing this career route. This study empirically validated the Swisscontact framework for green skills and jobs.

This paper analyzes the impact of environmental awareness on the occupational choices of adolescents. To do so, we exploit the apprenticeship system in Switzerland, where about two-thirds of adolescents choose an apprenticeship in their preferred occupation at around age 15. We consider two dimensions of environmental awareness as potential drivers of their occupational choice. First, we consider time-persistent regional social norms, which we proxy by regional differences in popular votes on environmental issues. Second, we investigate short-term shocks in environmental awareness, which we proxy by the occurrence of Fridays for Future strikes in different locations at different points in time. To measure whether adolescents choose occupations that have the potential to serve environmental protection, we estimate an occupational greenness score based on Swiss job-ad texts as data. Combining this occupational greenness score with detailed process-generated data on adolescents’ applications from Yousty, Switzerland’s largest online job board for apprenticeship positions, we find that environmental awareness is positively related to the greenness of adolescents’ occupational choices. However, this finding applies only to short-term shocks in environmental awareness and not to time-persistent pro-environmental norms. We interpret this result as evidence for a social-movement effect on norms and values that significantly alter adolescents’ occupational choices.