Urban Permaculture - an introductory VET course

Urban Permaculture - preliminary VET course

Urban Permaculture is a project that the Central European Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with partner organizations: FGU Aarhus (Denmark), Permaculture Dalmatia (Croatia), International Internships (Romania), Interbildung (Germany), and Kocaeli Provincial Directorate for National Education (Turkey), will be implementing for the next 3 years. The main goal of the project is to develop teaching objectives, content, and methodologies for initial vocational education and training (IVET) courses in urban permaculture.

The word "permaculture" has various definitions, but it can be understood as principles of working with nature, not against it: "Permaculture offers ways in which we can design human habitats; places where people can live and work with nature." In this context, urban permaculture is understood as practical methods and principles of nurturing, maintaining, and utilizing urban spaces in harmony with nature.

The IVET course will address the educational needs of individuals learning the basics of urban permaculture. The aim of the course is not to educate high-level horticulture or agriculture specialists; on the contrary, it will serve as a starting point and comprehensive overview of urban permaculture for learners participating in various vocational education and training programs.

The course will be cross-sectional and intersectoral so that it can be integrated with various professional directions. For example, the course can be integrated with initial vocational education in facility management, social work, catering and hospitality, office administration, etc.

The project assumes that every person starting professional work in cities, where employers increasingly demand innovative competencies, will have the opportunity to maintain employability in constantly changing urban European labor markets. Regardless of the type of eventual employment, the course offers IVET learners an introduction to how to build, maintain, and utilize urban nature and green areas in their professions and work environments.

More precisely targeting the target group, the course is aimed at students with fewer opportunities. This term refers to individuals who typically face challenges in learning in formal or academic contexts. To approach this target group, the project supports vocational schools through non-formal pedagogical practices that do not lead to formal qualifications but rather confirm learning achievements through their practical application.