Mentor to Impact sharing GTA approaches at JTPeers CZ
Mentor to Impact recently had the opportunity to contribute to the European Commission’s Just Transition Peers Expert Exchange (JTPeers CZ). The event gathered a diverse community of experts, educators, and regional authorities from across the Czech Republic to exchange experiences and explore innovative approaches to preparing the workforce for the transition to low emission energy systems. It provided a valuable platform for dialogue on how education and training systems can respond to the profound changes taking place in Europe’s energy and industrial sectors.
Mentor to Impact was invited to present insights from the Green Transition Academy – our ongoing initiative that works with teachers, students, companies, and the municipality to rethink vocational training for a renewable and energy-efficient future. The GTA is currently being piloted at Purkynka Secondary Technical School in Brno with support from the Villum Foundation.
Three key insights we shared
- Teachers need targeted support to adapt to rapid change
Energy technologies and labour-market requirements are evolving faster than traditional curricula can be updated. Strengthening teachers’ capacity – through collaboration with industry, access to new knowledge, and flexible teaching frameworks – is essential for ensuring that students learn skills that match real-world demand.
- Students should be active contributors to learning
Today’s students have grown up in a digital world, while many teachers were educated in a more analogue era. This gap can create challenges, but also opportunities: students can take meaningful roles in shaping learning activities, co-creating content with teachers, and helping bridge digital divides.
- The future workforce needs both technical and interdisciplinary skills
Renewable technologies, data, and AI require not only technical knowledge but also critical thinking, systems understanding, collaboration, creativity, and cross-disciplinary problem-solving. These combined skills are increasingly sought after by employers across the energy sector.
The discussions at JTPeers CZ reinforced a shared understanding: a just and resilient energy transition needs to be a joint effort.
By sharing approaches openly – between schools, companies, municipalities, and regions – we build stronger and more resilient pathways for education and workforce development. For Mentor to Impact, the exchange was a valuable opportunity to both contribute our insights and learn from others working to prepare students and educators for a rapidly changing energy landscape.
