First BIBB Global Partner Meeting

The first BIBB Global Partner Meeting focused on the topic of “Green Skills” and took place from 3 to 5 July 2013 in Leipzig, where it formed part of the programme of events at the WorldSkills Fair held in the city. A comprehensive three-day programme provided plenty of scope for networking between cooperation partners from 24 countries and 30 partner institutes of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB).

High-ranking experts from countries such as Australia and India debated the topics of “Green Skills” and “Greening TVET” with representatives from national vocational education and training institutes all over the world.

The conference was formally opened by BIBB President Prof. Dr. Friedrich H. Esser, whose introductory speech stressed the importance of worldwide networking between partners in the field of VET in terms of working together to address the challenges arising from a global economy.

In her keynote speech, the renowned American political and economic scientist L. Hunter Lovins, winner of the “Right Livelihood Award” for outstanding concepts relating to resource-efficient economic and production methods, pointed out that the development of so-called “green occupations” provided a basis for restructuring trade and industry in a way that supported sustainability.

The general programme included a tour of the WorldSkills Fair itself and a visit to the Centre of Excellence for Construction and Training in Leipzig (KOMZET), which specialises in the topic of “Sustainability and energy efficiency in planning, construction and management”. After attending the “Global Skills Market Place” at the WorldSkills, where a large number of papers was given, the first international partner meeting of this nature concluded its final day with a special networking event.