TEAM#UP counteracts the ongoing biodiversity loss and habitat degradation in order to strengthen ecosystem functions and services in the face of climate change. To support the transfer of innovation to practitioners via VET, TEAM#UP will jointly establish four Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs):
(1) multifunctional and sustainable land use in agricultural systems (in GERMANY),
(2) restoration of old infrastructure, ecological compensation and landscaping (in NORWAY),
(3) restoration across urban and rural landscapes (in CZECH REPUBLIC),
(4) forest restoration and disaster risk management (in SPAIN).
TEAM#UP aims to shape a generation of professionals within VET, skilled to implement climate and environmentally smart solutions. Four VET curricula and educational resources on ER will be developed. The four CoVEs will pilot the educational resources to ensure adequacy in practice. TEAM#UP will accompany other VET schools in the partnering countries in implementing the upgraded curriculum in their regular teaching. Besides basic ER courses, student-led demonstration sites on ER will spur hands-on skills, responsibility and autonomy. Exchange between CoVEs will support skill development of VET students, teachers, and sector partners. Students will benefit from training in business development, e.g., by an Ideathon to identify realistic ER business models.
Educational resources and visualized demonstration sites will be made available in a multilingual OER platform: a Digital Ecological Restoration Toolbox (DERTO). Webinars will promote DERTO for use in VET and further education in Europe and beyond . Overall, TEAM#UP will facilitate the transition to a greener and climate-resilient society.