A new course will equip participants with the necessary tools and skills needed for sustainable development and circular transition in economy and society

The blended learning course “Junior Expert in Circular Economy” will train 25 European young people who are qualified with a school diploma (e.g. Licei, Abitur, Matura, Baccalauréat, upper secondary, or vocational school certificates) and preferably are neither in employment nor education or training.

The course will equip the participants with the necessary tools and skills needed for sustainable development and circular transition in economy and society. Following the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle), they e.g. gain skills in the analysis, evaluation and improvement of manufacturing processes, impact assessment methods, total quality management for environmental sustainability, entrepreneurship and digital literacy.

The course is taught in English and is composed of 800 hours: 480 hours of interactive online classes (starting January 2021) complemented with a live training in Ferrara, Italy (currently scheduled for September-October 2021) and 320 hours of internship (currently scheduled for June-August 2021). The course is authorized by Emilia-Romagna Region with DD 12537-2020 and is supported by the EIT RawMaterials Academy.

Purpose and objectives

  • Circular economy challenges require a well-trained workforce with high analytical, creative and technical skills, appropriately integrated into the European qualification frameworks and system.

  • The purpose was to develop and certify a 1-year post-secondary non-tertiary education pilot course that can be transferred at European level and be adopted by the EIT RawMaterials Academy as a general framework for future VET (vocational education and training) courses.

  • JECE is a one-year higher technical education and training course (European Qualification Framework level IV) aimed at obtaining a novel qualification, organized thanks to an international partnership of educational institutions from Italy, Finland, Estonia and Switzerland and the support of EIT Raw Materials.

  • The Junior Expert in Circular Economy is based on the successful model of the Italian IFTS (Higher Technical Education and Training), which eventually will be implemented in other European countries represented in the project.  

  • Networks, especially with the collaboration of public employment services and secondary technical schools in connection with the Erasmus+, Eurodesk network and SALTO Youth Portal will also be established.

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