Transforming Vocational Education towards Green TVET: A Global Bibliometric Analysis
Keywords:
Global Sustainable Issues, Green TVET, SDGs, Vocational EducationAbstract
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays a strategic role in supporting the transition towards sustainable development. This study aims to analyse developments in the literature on the transformation of vocational education towards Green TVET using a bibliometric approach. Data were collected from international publications indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database and analysed using a combination of VOSviewer and R Studio software. The analysis was conducted through keyword co-occurrence, network visualisation, and thematic mapping to identify key trends and the direction of research development. The results indicate that research themes focus on education, skills, competences, vocational education, impact, and policy. Keyword trends suggest a shift from a conceptual approach towards a practical orientation, characterised by the strengthening of green skills and cross-disciplinary competences. The thematic map confirms that skills and competences occupy the position of driving themes, reinforcing the role of Green TVET as a vital instrument in supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 9, and SDG 13. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the direction of research into Green TVET and its implications for policy, curriculum and strategies in sustainability-oriented vocational education.
Downloads
References
S. Subrahmanyam, “Developing green skills for sustainable careers,” in Integrating AI and Sustainability in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), IGI Global, 2025, pp. 101–126. doi: 10.4018/979-8-3373-1142-5.ch005.
H. Li, S. I. Khattak, and X. Lu, “Greening the way forward : A qualitative assessment of green technology integration and prospects in a Chinese technical and vocational institute,” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 5187, pp. 1–16, 2023.
O. R. da Rocha, L. Morales, and J.-H. Coetzer, “Education for sustainable development,” in Geoeconomics of the Sustainable Development Goals, London: Routledge, 2025, pp. 20–43. doi: 10.4324/9781032655857-4.
J. Martínez-Falcó, B. Marco-Lajara, E. Sánchez-García, and L. A. Millan-Tudela, Crafting a sustainable future through education and sustainable development. In Practice, Progress, and Proficiency in Sustainability. IGI Global, 2023. doi: 10.4018/978-1-6684-9601-5.
R. Azahar, V. L. Hariyanto, W. Prayogo, and L. Fitria, “Fostering green skills in vocational students: The impact of learning environment, attitudes, and competence,” Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE), vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 203–223, 2026, doi: 10.23917/ijolae.v8i1.11746.
M. Kayyali, “Aligning vocational education with industry needs,” in Innovative Approaches in Vocational and Regional Education, IGI Global, 2025, pp. 1–48. doi: 10.4018/979-8-3693-9496-0.ch001.
N. Nikoloudakis and M. Rangoussi, “Introducing green, eco-friendly practices and circular economy principles in vocational education through a novel analysis-synthesis method: Design, implementation and evaluation,” International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 429–459, Jun. 2024, doi: 10.13152/IJRVET.11.3.5.
R. Azahar, M. Muhtadin, A. N. Cahyo, H. Hilhamsyah, and A. Syahri, “Vocational high school teachers’ readiness for teaching and learning in implementing the Merdeka Curriculum,” VANOS : Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1–18, 2025, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.30870/vanos.v10i2.32989.
A. A. Da Matta, M. Vancea, L. Valek, and O. V. Tarasova, “From theory to practice: Developing green skills through social economy and higher education,” in Building a Green Future Through Essential Decision-Making Competencies, IGI Global, 2025, pp. 513–526. doi: 10.4018/979-8-3373-0189-1.ch019.
M. Preckler Galguera, “TVET at UNESCO,” in Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Springer Nature, 2018, pp. 67–73. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-91107-6_5.
O. Legusov, R. L. Raby, L. Mou, F. Gómez-Gajardo, and Y. Zhou, “How community colleges and other TVET institutions contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” J. Furth. High. Educ., vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 89–106, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1080/0309877X.2021.1887463.
A. Rizwan, S. H. Serbaya, M. Saleem, H. Alsulami, D. A. Karras, and Z. Alamgir, “A preliminary analysis of the perception gap between employers and vocational students for career sustainability,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 20, p. 11327, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.3390/su132011327.
K. Shinghal, A. Saxena, S. Saxena, N. Saxena, and D. Shinghal, “Essentials of environment and sustainability for engineering graduates,” in 2024 International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communication and Materials (ICACCM), IEEE, Nov. 2024, pp. 1–7. doi: 10.1109/ICACCM61117.2024.11059230.
M. Milana, P. Rasmussen, and J. Holford, “Public policy and the ‘sustainability’ of adult education,” Encyclopaideia, vol. 18, no. 40, pp. 3–13, 2014, doi: 10.6092/issn.1825-8670/4658.
I. Bauer, “Web of Science, Scopus and further citation databases,” in Handbook Bibliometrics, De Gruyter, 2021, pp. 409–420. doi: 10.1515/9783110646610-038.
R. Azahar, H. Wibowo, J. P. Siregar, W. Ratnaningsih, M. I. Anggamulia, and W. Prayogo, “Global research trends on green technology in the construction and manufacturing industries : A bibliometric analysis,” Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 115–144, 2026, doi: 10.24191/z6e8nm82.
M. Z. A. Majid, S. Kasavan, and R. Siron, “Bibliometric analysis and science mapping of global scientific publications on technical vocational education and training (TVET),” Library Hi Tech, 2024, doi: 10.1108/LHT-12-2021-0485.
W. Prayogo et al., “Mapping Research Trends on Waste, Wastewater, and Air Pollution: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of NGO Contributions,” in Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference of Engineering and Implementation on Vocational Education (ACEIVE 2025), Atlantis Press, 2026, pp. 34–52. doi: 10.2991/978-2-38476-557-7_5.
P. L. Côrtes and R. Rodrigues, “A bibliometric study on ‘education for sustainability,’” Brazilian Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 3, no. 1, 2016, doi: 10.1186/s40552-016-0016-5.
C. S. Parkin and A. Lawrence, “Environmental education for sustainability,” in International Conference on Vocational Education and Training (IVETA 97), 1997, pp. 51–56.
E. Viertel, “Vocational education for sustainable development: An obligation for the European Training Foundation,” Eur. J. Educ., vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 217–235, Jun. 2010, doi: 10.1111/j.1465-3435.2010.01426.x.
A. D. Minghat and R. M. Yasin, “Sustainable framework for technical and vocational education in Malaysia,” in Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2010, pp. 1233–1237. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.312.
H. Shang, “Chinese vocational education research group of sustainable development,” in National Conference of Higher Vocational and Technical Education on Computer Information, 2010, pp. 314–316.
L. Moldovan, “Sustainability assessment framework for VET organizations,” Sustainability, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 7156–7174, Jun. 2015, doi: 10.3390/su7067156.
L. Moldovan, “Practical implementation of a framework for European quality assurance in VET towards environmentally sustainable economy,” Procedia Eng., vol. 181, pp. 1072–1079, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.proeng.2017.02.509.
Y. Shu, S.-J. Ho, and T.-C. Huang, “The development of a sustainability-oriented creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship education framework: A perspective study,” Front. Psychol., vol. 11, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01878.
C. Castiglioni, E. Lozza, P. Anselmi, and R. Rossi, “Assessing social impact in the field of sustainable tourism development: Evidence from Cabo Delgado (MZ),” Dev. South. Afr., vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 553–569, Jul. 2020, doi: 10.1080/0376835X.2019.1660858.
L. Moldovan, “Framework indicators for European quality assurance in VET towards environmentally sustainable economy,” Procedia Manuf., vol. 22, pp. 990–997, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.promfg.2018.03.141.
M. N. Handayani, A. Kamis, M. Ali, D. Wahyudin, and M. Mukhidin, “Development of green skills module for meat processing technology study,” J. Food Sci. Educ., vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 189–196, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1111/1541-4329.12231.
M. Pavlova and P. Askerud, “A Euro-Asian look at challenges to innovation and the greening of industries: Implications for TVET and strategic policy formulation,” Journal of Vocational Education & Training, vol. 76, no. 2, pp. 381–405, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.1080/13636820.2023.2288055.
S. Ramli, M. S. Rasul, H. Mohd Affandi, R. A. Abd Rauf, and D. Pranita, “Analysing teaching strategy, reflection and networking indicators towards learning for sustainable development (LSD) of green skills,” Journal of Technical Education and Training, vol. 14, no. 1, Jun. 2022, doi: 10.30880/jtet.2022.14.01.006.
N. H. Mothibi, M. J. Malebana, and E. M. Rankhumise, “Determinants of entrepreneurial behaviour among vocational college and university students in Gauteng, South Africa: A theory of planned Behaviour Perspective,” Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 9, p. 4175, May 2025, doi: 10.3390/su17094175.
F. A. Muhammed Zein and S. T. Abdullateef, “Quality education for sustainable development: Evolving pedagogies to maintain a Balance between knowledge, skills, and values-case study of Saudi Universities,” Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 2, p. 635, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.3390/su17020635.
C. S. Masoabi, “Sustainable lifelong learning in transit from TVET to the University: A recognition of prior learning phenomenon,” European Journal of Sustainable Development, vol. 12, no. 4, p. 330, Oct. 2023, doi: 10.14207/ejsd.2023.v12n4p330.
M. A. Abd Rahman, E. P. Joko, M. R. Hasan, and N. Hasif, “The impact of localising sustainable development goals (SDG) in selected Sabah parliamentary constituencies through service-learning concept,” Journal of Technical Education and Training, vol. 15, no. 3, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.30880/jtet.2023.15.03.022.
M. Fuchs, “Green skills for sustainability transitions,” Geogr. Compass, vol. 18, no. 10, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.1111/gec3.70003.
C. Scalabrino, A. Navarrete Salvador, and J. M. Oliva Martínez, “A theoretical framework to address education for sustainability for an earlier transition to a just, low-carbon and circular economy,” Environ. Educ. Res., vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 735–766, May 2022, doi: 10.1080/13504622.2022.2031899.
J. Holst, M. Singer‐Brodowski, A. Brock, and G. de Haan, “Monitoring SDG 4.7: Assessing education for sustainable development in policies, curricula, training of educators and student assessment (input‐indicator),” Sustainable Development, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 3908–3923, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.1002/sd.2865.
D. Persson Thunqvist, M. Gustavsson, and A. Halvarsson Lundqvist, “The role of VET in a green transition of industry: A literature review,” International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 361–382, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.13152/IJRVET.10.3.4.
J. Lou, A. Rader, Y. M. L. Gultom, T. C. Hilde, and N. Hultman, “Navigating SDG 8 in the decarbonizing landscape of emerging economies: A case study of Indonesia,” Sustainable Earth Reviews, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 26, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.1186/s42055-024-00096-5.
S. Yadav, “Education for sustainable awareness with integrating eco awareness into educational curricula,” 2024, pp. 103–122. doi: 10.4018/979-8-3693-5748-4.ch006.
A. F. Zaime, N. M. Othman, L. C. Sern, A. Hasan, and S. Md. Said, “A green skills framework for TVET curricula,” International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 2532–2534, Jan. 2020, doi: 10.35940/ijitee.B7276.019320.
F. M. Saputri and S. Ediyono, “Education framework 2030: Do vocational school students have green skills?” Jurnal Kependidikan: Jurnal Hasil Penelitian dan Kajian Kepustakaan di Bidang Pendidikan, Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran, vol. 8, no. 3, p. 605, Sep. 2022, doi: 10.33394/jk.v8i3.5355.
P. Cisneros Chavira, A. Shamsuzzoha, H. Kuusniemi, and B. Jovanovski, “Defining green innovation, its impact, and cycle – A literature analysis,” Clean. Eng. Technol., vol. 17, p. 100693, Dec. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.clet.2023.100693.
K. Mohd Salleh, N. L. Sulaiman, S. Puteh, and M. A. Jamaludin, “Impact of community engagement on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The global goals to local implementation,” Journal of Technical Education and Training, vol. 15, no. 3, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.30880/jtet.2023.15.03.018.
D. Marwaha, B. V R, A. N, A. Kuttan, G. Harikumar, and S. Sheshadri, “Evaluation of factors influencing the implementation of a government vocational training program for women in Ernakulam, Kerala, India: A principal implementers’ perspective,” in 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS), IEEE, Sep. 2024, pp. 1–6. doi: 10.1109/ISTAS61960.2024.10732850.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Ridho Azahar, V. Lilik Hariyanto , Sarwa, Wisnu Prayogo , Liana Atika, Mena Fadillia Lukman, Anni Zahara Putri, Heri Franata Sitorus, Naufal Tinov

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.









