Advancing higher education for sustainable and innovative textiles in Vietnam

ongoing

Vietnam's textile and apparel sector, which accounts for up to 16% of the country's GDP, is a significant player in the global market, employing 12% of the industrial workforce. However, the industry faces environmental pollution issues, including contamination from chemicals and water. The EU's policy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, which aims to reduce environmental costs associated with garments and apparel consumption in the EU, is expected to significantly impact the industry. The industry is already under a greening industrial wave, with plans to cut water and energy usage by 20% and 15% by the end of 2022. To help the industry transition to a green economy, training on contemporary methods, sustainability, waste management, and green technologies is essential. However, there are key need gaps in education in the textile sector, including lack of technical and vocational education, and lack of access to adequate training programs. The project will establish three “Life-Long Learning Labs for Textiles & Clothing” in the participating HEIs in Vietnam, to support the green transformation of the Vietnamese textile industry. To this end, the project will: - Upgrade the teaching capacities of the participating HEIs from Vietnam, by introducing and modernising professional courses, for re-skilling and up-skilling students and graduates who are already in the workforce, introducing advanced and sustainability related content focusing on efficient and environmentally friendlier manufacturing methods and techniques. - Establish digital infrastructure and build staff capacity in Vietnam for introduction of digital educational tools and courses at HEI level to deliver long distance educational services. - Digitalize and adjust training content for the purposes of distance Life-Long Learning establish the therefore required laboratory infrastructure and build staff capacity in in all participating HEIs in Vietnam to deliver the digital LLL courses.