The European Framework of Competencies to implement the Sustainable Development Goals in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises has already been developed by the consortium and is now available on the website in English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish.

The framework consists of six units, starting with an introduction to the SDGs in business, then understanding the role of green skills in SMEs, defining sustainability priorities, designing sustainability strategies and action plans applying the PDCA cycle to support VET professionals and consultants in applying a plan-do-check-act cycle model, and finally a unit on outreaching sustainability achievements.

The application of this frameworks has been developed based on European standards in order to promote transparency, recognition, mobility and transferability to other VET organisations, companies and intermediary bodies in Europe, that want to implementation as well the SDGs in small and medium sized enterprises through VET. In this sense, the first intellectual output produced will provide a reference of competences using a common language to describe competences, skills, knowledge, and proficiency levels that can be understood across Europe, following European standards and frameworks of reference. The framework designed has six units of competence and the three-layer approach structuring the European Framework of Competencies to implement the SDGs in SMEs, a training curriculum was designed, considering the ECVET formula that is most adopted Europe-wide, which is 25 hours corresponding to 1 ECVET point and EQF level 5.

This output is designed to meet the needs of VET teachers, trainers and mentors working to support SMEs staff on the implementation of the SDGs in SMEs through VET. The aim is to serve as a common basis for the elaboration of syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, or textbooks across Europe. It describes in a comprehensive way what learners have to learn and what knowledge and skills they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively to support the implementation of the SDGs in SMEs through VET. The European Framework is addressed to educational administrators, course designers, teachers, teacher trainers, or examining bodies, to reflect on their current practice, with a view to situating and co-ordinating their efforts and to ensuring that they meet the real needs of the learners for whom they are responsible.

The strong transferability potential of this output will contribute to provide great opportunities for further dissemination and continued adoption of the framework Europe-wide. The Framework will support key policy objectives and programmes to implement the SDGs in SMEs through VET both at EU and at National level in the participant countries.

The European Framework of Competencies has been developed through a process of co-creation between all project partners while Mindshift has been the leading organisation of this first output and responsible of the definition of the action plan and its effective implementation.

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