Denmark: NEXT, Copenhagen · Rybners, Esbjerg · Herningsholm, Herning Kenya: Comboni Polytechnic, Gilgil, Nakuru

Forum for International Cooperation. The project is supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Civil Society in Development (CISU).

Danish and Kenyan vocational schools cooperate on the Global Goals and sustainability

Danish carpentry and joinery apprentices will work with sustainable solutions in Kenyan informal settlements

Danish carpentry and joinery apprentices are being sent to Kenya to work hands-on with sustainable solutions in an informal settlement.

Vocational education needs a stronger focus on the Global Goals and sustainability. That is why three Danish vocational schools – NEXT Uddannelse København, Rybners and Herningsholm Erhvervsskole – have entered into a partnership with the Kenyan vocational school Comboni Polytechnic to learn from each other and work together on developing new sustainable working methods and teaching models.

The cooperation is based on the carpentry and joinery trades, and in February all three Danish partner schools will send a delegation of apprentices and teachers on a stay at the Kenyan school.

Usharika Fiti – Practical Partnership

During the stay, the participants will work hands-on with sustainability and the Global Goals. Danish and Kenyan apprentices will explore together how their professional knowledge, skills and craftsmanship can help solve the challenges faced by local residents in the informal settlements.

Green transition

The new experiences, insights and methods will afterwards be used in teaching at the vocational schools, so that the next generation of vocational students can lead the way as agents of change and be better equipped to drive the green transition forward.

"If we don't try new things and stay curious about how these issues are handled elsewhere in the world, we won't grow wiser or develop," says Jørgen Richter, Head of Education for the joinery programme at NEXT Uddannelse København, in a press release. "We don't have all the answers ourselves, and I believe this project can contribute new knowledge, new methods and inspiration to our teaching and our work with sustainability and the Global Goals."

Karsten Josef Rigel, Head of Department at Rybners Vocational Education, also expresses enthusiasm in the same press release for a project he is convinced will strengthen the students' global outlook and broaden their understanding of the world.

"At the same time, we hope the project can help build cooperation on sustainable solutions to the climate challenges of the future," he says.

Jesper Steen Nielsen, Head of Education for the carpentry programme, rounds off the press release by highlighting the insight and perspective the students will bring home from their trip to Kenya.

"In our teaching, we are curious about how the green transition affects us – but often with a focus shaped by Danish rules and conditions. To better understand the world around us and challenge the local agenda within our trades, we actively seek out how others view and work with sustainability."

Cultural exchange

The pilot project's teaching models will include learning about climate and environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability. The aim is also for Danish and Kenyan students to learn from each other, gain a better understanding of their differences and similarities, and see how sustainability and the Global Goals are approached in other contexts and cultures.

The project was developed in cooperation with RCE – Regional Centre of Expertise Denmark and FIC – Forum for International Cooperation.