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Πώς οι «πράσινες» ήπιες δεξιότητες συνδέουν την ακαδημαϊκή εκπαίδευση STEM με την πράσινη οικονομία (Beyond equations: Ηow green soft skills link STEM academia to the green economy)

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της Χριστίνας Γαλάνη


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Καθως οι επιπτώσεις της κλιματικής αλλαγής γίνονται ολοένα και πιο αισθητές, η μετάβαση σε μια βιώσιμη, πράσινη οικονομία απαιτεί πολύ περισσότερα απο τεχνικές γνώσεις. Για να πετύχουμε μια οικονομία μηδενικών εκπομπών έως το 2050, δεν αρκεί μόνο η τεχνολογία. Χρειαζόμαστε ανθρώπους με τις κατάλληλες δεξιότητες: επαγγελματίες που συνδυάζουν τεχνική γνώση με ανθρώπινες ικανότητες όπως επικοινωνία, συνεργασία, ενσυναίσθηση και συστηματική σκέψη. Αυτές είναι οι λεγόμενες πράσινες ήπιες δεξιότητες (green soft skills) - δεξιότητες που επιτρέπουν στους ανθρώπους να σκέφτονται και να ενεργούν συνειδητά, να συνεργάζονται πέρα απο τα όρια των ειδικοτήτων τους και να συμβάλουν ουσιαστικά στη βιώσιμη ανάπτυξη. Αν και οι απόφοιτοι STEM αποτελούν κινητήρια δύναμη της καινοτομίας, πολλά ακαδημαϊκά προγράμματα σπουδών εξακολουθούν να εστιάζουν μονοδιάστατα στις τεχνικές γνώσεις, αφήνοντας στο περιθώριο τις δεξιότητες που κάνουν τη διαφορά στην πράξη. Η ενσωμάτωση των πράσινων ήπιων δεξιοτήτων στα προγράμματα STEM δεν είναι απλώς μια εκπαιδευτική καινοτομία — είναι μια στρατηγική επένδυση στο μέλλον της εργασίας. Μέσα από βιωματικές και συνεργατικές μεθόδους μάθησης, όπως η ομαδική εργασία, η επίλυση πραγματικών προβλημάτων και η δημιουργική σκέψη, οι φοιτητές μπορούν να αναπτύξουν τις ικανότητες που ζητά σήμερα η πράσινη αγορά εργασίας. Αυτό ακριβώς το κενό έρχεται να καλύψει το ευρωπαϊκό έργο SOFTEN. Μέσα από ποιοτική έρευνα που πραγματοποιήθηκε σε έξι ευρωπαϊκές χώρες (Ελλάδα, Πολωνία, Λιθουανία, Πορτογαλία, Ιταλία και Φινλανδία) το έργο ανέδειξε τις προκλήσεις και τα κενά που υπάρχουν σήμερα όσον αφορά στην ενσωμάτωση των πράσινων ήπιων δεξιοτήτων στα προγράμματα STEM. Επιπλέον, στο πλαίσιο του έργου, δημιουργήθηκε και μια ψηφιακή πλατφόρμα (SOFTEN e-platform) που λειτουργεί ως ένας ζωντανός, διαδικτυακός χώρος συνεργασίας και γνώσης γύρω από τα ‘green soft skills’ όπου ακαδημαϊκοί, φοιτητές από STEM σχολές και επαγγελματίες του πράσινου τομέα.

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Introduction

Global warming, environmental shocks, and the necessity for the green transition are increasing workplaces’ complexity and competitiveness, changing labour market dynamics. To thrive in the green economy and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, a skillful workforce equipped with both technical skills and transferable competences – so-called ‘green soft skills’ – is needed for more versatile green professionals, capable of integrating environmental objectives into their roles, thinking and acting  consciously and  leveraging green opportunities for sustainable growth in their field (OECD 2025). The latest research indicates that employers highly value a combination of technical expertise, interdisciplinary knowledge, and soft skills that enable employees to excel in their roles.   


STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) graduates have always been at the heart of innovation — but technical expertise alone is no longer enough. As the world seeks to move toward more sustainable economies and industries rethink how they produce, design, and deliver, a clear message emerges: the green transition requires more than technological innovation. It calls for people who can think holistically, collaborate across disciplines, and integrate sustainability into every decision they make. Academic technical curricula must evolve, enriching STEM disciplines with a holistic green skill set (Skills4Impact, 2024), integrating sustainability principles, ethical standards, values, attitudes, and behaviour across all forms of education and learning environments (European Training Foundation, 2023). Advancing students’ skills implies a combination of technical know-how with practical experience, as an integral part of their future career success and adaptability (Gerasimova & Oblova, 2025).


Green soft skills in STEM: the missing link to a sustainable workforce

According to ISEP 2025 State of the Profession Report, there is an increased need for      soft skills like communication, influencing, resilience, stakeholder engagement, building relationships, empathy, flexibility, adaptability, and coaching (ISEP, 2025). Green soft skills in particular – soft skills that are vital for the green economy – are considered a big asset for the future of green professions, enabling employees to think critically and design solutions that work not only in theory but also in real-world, socially responsible contexts.


Despite growing recognition of their importance, green soft skills remain the “missing link” in many curricula. This is supported by the research findings of the SOFTEN project’s framework report, in which current trends, needs, and gaps around green soft skills’ integration in STEM curricula and green industrial ecosystems in six EU countries (Greece, Poland, Lithuania, Portugal, Italy, and Finland) are unpacked. The project’s research highlights recurring barriers, confirmed by interviewed academic staff from diverse STEM fields and green economy stakeholders, as follows:

  • Traditional teaching models focus on technical mastery, leaving little room for interpersonal or reflective learning.

  • Overloaded curricula, crowding out opportunities for cross-disciplinary projects or experiential learning.

  • Limited educators’ training in soft skills teaching methods makes it difficult to embed them consistently across STEM subjects.

  • Institutional resistance and cultural perceptions, where soft skills are seen as      less rigorous, prevent universities from treating them as core learning elements.

  • Lack of resources and poor connections between academia and industry stakeholders mean that the growing demand from green industry employers for collaborative professionals is not reflected in higher education programmes.


Considering the aforementioned barriers, a clear skills mismatch between the supply side (what STEM education systems currently provide) and the demand side (what the emerging green economy requires) is revealed. The result is a generation of talented graduates who are technically proficient but may lack the human-centered competencies needed to lead sustainable change.


How green soft skills can empower green professionals in STEM

Universities can play a crucial role in preparing the next generation of “green thinkers” — and that requires more than equations. Nurturing green soft skills in STEM education means creating learning environments where teamwork, interdisciplinary dialogue, and sustainability thinking are intertwined towards every STEM professional’s future green career.

Holik & Sanda (2023) highlight several collaborative methods that can be integrated in STEM courses and may foster students’ green soft skills, such as:

  • Project-based learning: joint activities and projects of teachers and students, and is considered suitable for developing cooperation, empathy, conflict-management, communication, and problem-solving skills.

  • Problem-based learning: an approach that engages students with practical problems, thereby preparing them for creative, critical, and analytical thinking.

  • Gamification: the application of games and game elements to non-game areas of life, rendering the educational process more engaging and effective. 

These methods demonstrate that soft skills can be nurtured through authentic, participatory learning — not as add-ons, but as integral components of STEM education.


Findings from the SOFTEN project confirm the connection between pedagogy and practice (Figure 1). Collaborative learning methods are strongly supported by professors who participated in research conducted by the project. Almost 59% of educational providers (38 out of 65 total respondents) who were surveyed across the six countries strongly support the application of interactive learning methods (such as role-playing, brainstorming, case-studies) for fostering students’greensoft skills. Other educational pathways that STEM educators seem to preferrelateto the implementation of group projects, application of hands-on activities with a variety of tools as part of their STEM courses (e.g., field trips, workshops, games) or the application of human-centred and participatory pedagogies (e.g., design thinking, service-learning).


Figure 1. Most preferred educational methods to improve green soft skills in STEM education and green thinking in 6 EU countries, according to STEM educators. Source.
Figure 1. Most preferred educational methods to improve green soft skills in STEM education and green thinking in 6 EU countries, according to STEM educators. Source.

These perspectives corroborate that green soft skills flourish through real-world experience and interaction. Such practices can strengthen the bridge between academia and emerging labour market realities.


The SOFTEN E-Platform as a collaborative space for green soft skills

The value of green soft skills is widely acknowledged, yet green employers still struggle to find well-rounded graduates. This mismatch exposes a persistent disconnection between education and labour-market demand. Karimi & Pina (2021) point out that ‘it is this disconnect, or lack of an open system, that is impeding the development of soft skills in undergraduate STEM students’. This lingering gap suggests that the challenge is no longer only about recognition, but also about connection: linking educational innovation with practical realities of the green economy. Addressing this divide requires closer partnerships, shared language, and ongoing dialogue. STEM academia and green economy companies need a living community where educators, learners, and industry actors co-create and share knowledge, experiences, shaping together the future of green soft skills in STEM – a space where the SOFTEN project’s e-platform aspires to play a pioneering role.


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The SOFTEN e-platform was designed to operate as an online knowledge hub and a vibrant, virtual community for exchanging ideas and experiences among academia, students, and green-sector stakeholders, combining the promotion of project results – such as the project's Framework and a Massive Open Online Course for training in green soft skills – with the provision of free tools and interactive exercises.


Through this online hub, educators, students, and green economy professionals are given the opportunity to:

  • Gain inspiration through a digital toolkit: inspiring testimonials of professionals and educators who implement soft skills in sustainable innovation settings, case studies and good practices.

  • Exchange knowledge and experiences on soft skills development in STEM through a dedicated Forum.

  • Access a self-evaluation map that enables you to check your current level of soft skills and receive targeted feedback.


By encouraging this type of community-driven collaboration, the SOFTEN e-platform transforms fragmented initiatives into a shared European ecosystem of practice — connecting classrooms with companies, research with real life, and theory with transformation. Through the resources offered by the SOFTEN E-platform, STEM academia can truly go beyond equations — shaping not only the technologies of tomorrow but the values and mindsets that sustain our shared future.


Final remarks

The green economy needs holistic STEM talents — both skilled and socially aware. To build a sustainable future, Europe needs a workforce that not only understands science and technology behind the green transition but also possesses the soft skills to make it happen — the ability to collaborate, adapt, and think systemically. Green soft skills are not just ‘nice to have’ – embedding them in STEM higher education implies both an educational priority and a societal transformation where green professionals are able to communicate, collaborate, and innovate responsibly, becoming active agents of the green transition.


About SOFTEN

SOFTEN is a European project, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, with a duration of 3 years (November 2022-October 2025). It brings together 7 partners from EU countries (Greece, Poland, Lithuania, Portugal, Finland, Italy) under the coordination of Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The project’s main goal is to promote and further enhance green soft skills development in STEM HE curricula and foster a new way of interdisciplinary action between STEM academia and green economy fields.


Follow the project on social media and explore its developed resources on the website:

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the National Agency (NA). Neither the European Union nor the NA can be held responsible for them. Project No. 2022-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000085725.


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