The green transition is an urgent global challenge aimed at achieving sustainable development, which involves meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (ILO, 2015). At Spanish level the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) 2023-2030 is being implemented, which sets ambitious targets for the penetration of renewable energies and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This plan aims to modernize the economy, create sustainable employment, enhance competitiveness, and reduce external energy dependence. In this context, the present analysis aims on the role of the Spanish Vocational Education and Training (VET) in the transition towards an environmentally sustainable society as a driver for the main green occupations that are needed to accomplish it.

The primary research questions guiding this study include:

1. What are the key environmental challenges facing Spain, and how do they impact the labor market in terms of occupations and qualifications?
2. Which occupations are essential at the Spanish level for advancing environmental sustainability, and what is their current and projected demand?
3. Which VET programs in the Spanish offer correspond to those green occupations?

The theoretical framework is grounded in the concept of the green economy, which emphasizes the importance of sustainable development through the integration of environmental considerations into economic planning and labor market strategies (Janta et al., 2023; Persson Thunqvist, et al., 2023; Bohnenberger, 2022). This approach aligns with international frameworks, such as the European Green Deal (European Commission, 2019), which advocate for the development of green skills to support environmental objectives (European Commission, 2022a, 2024). The analysis is conducted following the Spanish 14 priority environmental challenges across key axes for the ecological transition as identified by the Fundación Biodiversidad and the Spanish Office for Climate Change (Fundación Biodiversidad et al., 2023), under the umbrella of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO). These challenges span both climate and biodiversity domains. The analysis shows significant challenges and indicate that VET has a great potential to contribute to addressing multiple challenges (McGrath & Ramsarup, 2024; Gessler et al., 2021) , being essential for equipping individuals with skills in key thematic areas related to environmental sustainability (Pavlova, 2016). In this sense, it is relevant to identify key green occupations crucial for the ecological and energy-environmental transition and for addressing the identified challenges. These occupations form the central focus of the study, given the wide variety of approaches to green employment both nationally and internationally (Janta et al., 2023; Kozar & Sulich, 2023; Persson, et al., 2023). Notably, this has been achieved through the adoption of a broad perspective on "green employment" in this research. This includes not only occupations specializing in the production of environmental goods and services but also those that contribute to reducing environmental impact through the green skills and resources (Gamboa et al., 2024a: 2024b; Vona et al., 2019). This skills-based approach is crucial for the green transition, as it identifies the necessary actions to develop these skills in individuals (European Commission, 2022a) through education and training. The analysis shows that VET has the potential to contribute to environmental sustainability, being essential for key occupations related to it.

The research methodology comprises three phases: 1. Identification of Environmental Challenges: o Conducting a comprehensive literature review to understand and identify priority environmental challenges in Spain, divided equally between climate change and biodiversity. Be aligned to the Spanish environmental sustainability strategy and the main sustainability challenges (Fundación Biodiversidad et al., 2023), under the umbrella of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO). These challenges span both climate and biodiversity domains o Analyzing public and private initiatives requiring skilled professionals to address these challenges.. 2. Determination of Green Occupations: o The identification of green occupations was conducted using a mixed quantitative (e.g. Orkestra, 2023, Gamboa et al., 2024a) and qualitative methodology, which also brought an international and national perspective to defining the list of green occupations. This mixed methodology is a further development of previous literature as it was combined quantitative and international data from the European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO) database (European Commission, 2022b) and qualitative national insights on the key green occupations from the study carried out by the Fundación Biodiversidad and the Spanish Office for Climate Change (Fundación Biodiversidad et al., 2023). The outcome of using both approaches is a comprehensive list of green occupations beyond those directly related to environmental activities and services. o These occupations are also linked to one or more of the 14 key value chains for the energy and environmental transition, as defined by the Fundación Biodiversidad and the Spanish Office for Climate Change (Fundación Biodiversidad et al., 2023). o The classification of these occupations is based on their relationship to VET programs. As a result, a list of “priority green occupations” was developed (Orkestra, 2023; Gamboa et al., 2024b). 3. Analysis of Green VET Programs: o To identify 60 VET programs (22 at the intermediate level and 38 at the advanced level) that serve as conduits to green occupations, by means of the analysis of the VET degrees of those performing green occupations o To assess enrollment, completion rates, and labor market insertion of graduates from these programs.

The expected outcomes are: • A detailed mapping of Spain's environmental challenges and the corresponding labor market and sector areas. • Identification of priority green occupations, with a subset directly linked to VET qualifications in the national context. • Identification of the main VET programs related to the green occupations in terms of employment • Insights into the current state of green VET programs, including enrollment trends and employment outcomes for graduates in Spain. • A set of strategic recommendations aimed at enhancing the capacity of VET to supply the labor market with professionals equipped with green skills, thereby supporting Spain's transition to a sustainable economy.

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