Competency Framework for Twin Green & Digital Transition
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The Competency Framework for the Twin Green and Digital Transition provides a strategic and operational blueprint for equipping professionals, educators, institutions, and policymakers with the skills and capabilities required to lead and support the dual transformation toward a sustainable and digitally empowered future. In an era defined by climate crisis and exponential technological development, the need to integrate green and digital skills into workforce development, education, and innovation systems has become both urgent and systemic. This framework has been developed under the GreenTech Horizons initiative through a rigorous, evidence-based, and participatory process involving stakeholders across Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Drawing on international best practices, including EU frameworks such as GreenComp, DigComp, and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the structure enables cross-sectoral applicability and regional adaptation. Organized into three interconnected sub-frameworks—Green Competencies, Digital Competencies, and Business Competencies—the framework defines a total of 16 competency areas and 72 specific competencies, each mapped across five progressive levels (L1–L5) corresponding to EQF levels 3 to 8. These levels reflect increasing degrees of autonomy, complexity, and leadership, and are designed to support career progression, upskilling, and lifelong learning pathways. Key features include: A holistic structure that supports curriculum development, training design, HR planning, and policy alignment; Integration of sustainability knowledge with advanced digital fluency and strategic business skills; Clear alignment with EQF descriptors and international learning outcomes; Practical guidance through competency descriptors, sub-level indicators, career pathways, and assessment criteria; A modular design adaptable to multiple contexts—academic, corporate, public sector, and non-formal education. The framework development process involved: Scoping research of over 100 strategic and policy documents, 40+ academic programs, and 50+ economic sectors; Empirical data collection from 895 professionals and 125 HEI representatives across the three countries; Iterative stakeholder validation, resulting in refinements to structure, terminology, and policy coherence. This document is intended as a strategic resource for: Higher education institutions undertaking curriculum reform and skills alignment; Employers and HR professionals designing talent development programs for the twin transition; Policy actors at national and regional levels formulating strategies for green growth and digital innovation; Training providers and certification bodies developing micro-credentialing systems; Learners and professionals navigating transition-oriented careers. As both green and digital transitions continue to evolve, this framework should be considered a living document—ready to be updated in response to changing technologies, regulatory developments, and labor market dynamics. It lays the foundation for resilient, adaptable, and forward-looking education and workforce systems that are essential to sustainable development in the 21st century.
Institution: University of Novi Sad
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6949725969
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