Mapping formative and training opportunities to enhance Circular Economy skills: a market analysis

Circular Economy (CE) is becoming increasingly important, as in the near future such a paradigm will become the new standard for manufacturing companies, bringing with it the need to start implementing transition plans towards more circular models. However, the integration of the CE model requires new skills and capabilities, and the demand for new employment opportunities for the so-called "green jobs" is expected to increase. Therefore, this paper has the objective to explore the current opportunities for people in terms of courses available on the market to enhance their circular-oriented skills. This research objective has been addressed by performing a market analysis which focuses on an in-depth study of the current market offer. The analysis explored the courses aimed at developing skills that enable the transition to the CE, also encompassing sustainability and Digital Technologies (DTs) themes, at Higher Education (HE) and Vocational Education & Training (VET) levels. These kinds of courses were deployed through national and international projects or provided by business schools and other teaching entities. Based on their learning objectives and educational modules, these projects and courses at HE and VET levels have been further classified within three main macro categories (i.e., “CE transition”, “sustainability transition”, and “twin transition”) thanks to the application of the SLIP (Sort, Label, Integrate, Priority) method, which is a free form methodology used to Sort, Label, Integrate and Prioritize concepts. In this way, it has been possible to highlight the gaps in the current teaching and training provision. Relevant inputs useful for the development of a new set of topics that will potentially help to improve the educational offer for the transition to the CE in the manufacturing context have been proposed.