Donor Committee wants to drive "Green Skills" forward

(Schaan, December 7, 2022) The Liechtenstein Development Service (LED) has been a member of the Donor Committee for Dual Vocational Education and Training (DC dVET) since 2016 and has now hosted a working meeting for the second time. The current face-to-face meeting took place on December 6-7 at Bildungshaus Gutenberg in Balzers. The participating development organizations were the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) or the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Liechtenstein Development Service (LED).

Optimistic Atmosphere
The slight increase in government investment in education and development cooperation (DC) contributed to the optimistic mood at the donor committee meeting. The EZA experts from the four German-speaking countries each independently identified the so-called Green Skills as a focus for their work in vocational education and training. Green skills are skills and values that promote sustainable and resource-efficient economic development. Furthermore, approaches for the successful involvement of the private sector in vocational training projects are fed into the practical work of the member organizations by the donor committee in the form of studies, expert advice and further training offers. The exchange within the donor committee often leads to joint projects on site. In Moldova, for example, the LED is currently implementing a vocational training project together with the SDC. 

DC and Education in Liechtenstein and the Rhine Valley
Various presentations helped to familiarize the participants with both development cooperation and vocational training in Liechtenstein: Panagiotis Potolidis-Beck, Head of the Economic and Development Department, at the Office of Foreign Affairs (AAA), portrayed IHCD (International Humanitarian Cooperation and Development) in Liechtenstein in his presentation.  Andreas Sicks, LED Managing Director, informed about the current strategic orientation of the LED as a bilateral donor of Liechtenstein and Daniel Miescher, LED Foundation Board and Rector of the Vocational and Continuing Education Center Buchs Sargans, made the connection to Dual Vocational Education in the Rhine Valley in his short presentation. 
The long-term commitment to dual vocational training in the countries of the global South unites the representatives on the donor committee.