In early March 2023, a 2-day final event was held in Istanbul, Turkey, organized by the Turkish-German University, as part of the Be4Future project (http://be4future.net), which was attended by various stakeholders and interested parties. The main product of the Be4Future project is an emerging digital platform that will use traditional and innovative methods to present sustainable projects, ideas, and the people behind them. The platform's goal is not to present the causes and effects of specific problems and conflicts, such as climate change, pollution, natural disasters, global warming, ecological problems, or xenophobia, but exclusively to present approaches to solutions. The idea stems from the assumption that constructive approaches to solutions deserve stronger media influence, as knowledge to the problems that endanger our future is a prerequisite for properly categorizing new approaches. However, this transformation is already sufficiently presented in other media, and Be4Future focuses on solutions.

Each country has its own unique concerns regarding topics such as energy production, water usage, and social issues like xenophobia and integration of diverse cultures. The current ecological, economic, health, social, ethical, and cultural systems require a complete reevaluation. Novel solutions are being sought after urgently, such as new economic structures, scientific research approaches, and ethical-social projects that promote a sustainable future. It is crucial to actively address the pressing challenges of our time to prevent irreparable damage to the planet's ecosystem, and to avoid jeopardizing peaceful coexistence through unbalanced distribution of wealth and poverty among different regions of the world and members of society.

As part of the aforementioned 2-day event, an academy was  held, where teach. assist. Dejan Zemljak and teach. assist. dr. Maja Kerneža on behalf of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, prepared and actively contributed with a presentation on the topic of preparing and using Europass. Europass is a tool that helps to plan one's personal educational path and/or professional career in order to increase the transparency of qualifications and the mobility of citizens across Europe. The event was primarily aimed at individuals aged 15 to 25, but other interested parties also joined. These individuals offered a new perspective on the interplay of the importance of the emerging network, which offers new professional starting points presented in this contribution. 

 If we have already discussed the fundamental goals and purposes of the project, which focuses on reinforcing links between policy, research, and practices with a focus on green skills, energy and resources, and disaster prevention, preparedness, and recovery, it is necessary to say something about the concept of Europass. 

Europass is a set of online tools and forms developed by the European Commision to facilitate the understanding and comparison of qualifications, skills, and experiences across EU member states and other countries. Europass includes five documents: Curriculum Vitae, the Language Passport, the Europass Skills Passport, the Europass Certificate Supplement, and the Europass Diploma Supplement. By using Europass, students, pupils, workers, and job seekers can present their qualifications, experiences, and skills in a unified and transparent manner, which facilitates their job search and further education in different EU countries and worldwide. 

The demand for employment related to the aforementioned concerns, such as energy production, water usage, and social issues, exceeds the current workforce available to cover the needs within each individual country. Due to this and because the needs, knowledge, and experience required by each country according to its unique situation, the mobility of those who possess the necessary skills is desirable, if not necessary. This applies to students, unemployed job seekers, and employed individuals who wish to share their individual knowledge and skills while simultaneously developing them not only within their own country but also outside their primary work and living location. 

To enable such job seeking and the pursuit of new challenges, both employers and employees face new challenges, which potential new employees can partially overcome by using the European standardized Curriculum Vitae format Europass, which offers users several advantages over other types of resumes. The main advantages include ease of use, standardized format, increased transparency, adequate highlighting of qualifications and experience, and international recognition. 

And it is precisely these advantages of Europass that connect the needs in the areas of sustainability and green skills with job seeking in these areas. As we know, sustainable development is one of the key priorities in the EU and beyond. Increasingly, employers are looking for candidates with experience and skills in sustainability and green technologies. Europass can help present these skills and experiences in a structured and easy-to-understand way. 

For example, candidates specializing in the green economy can highlight their knowledge and experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable mobility, and similar areas in the standardized Europass resume format. Employers will easily recognize candidates who have the appropriate set of skills and experience to work in the field of sustainability. Europass also allows for precise listing of language skills, which can be useful for work in areas related to sustainability and green technologies that require multilingualism. Accordingly, candidates with experience and skills in sustainability and green technologies can highlight their unique qualifications and attractiveness to employers looking for candidates to work in these sectors in their Europass resume. 

And it is precisely these advantages of Europass that link the needs in the fields of sustainability and green skills with the search for employment in these areas. As we know, sustainable development is one of the key priorities in the EU and beyond. More and more employers are looking for candidates with experience and skills in sustainability and green technologies. Europass can help present these skills and experiences in a structured and easy way. 

However, we must no longer view green skills and sustainability awareness only within the context of job applications that specifically require their skills for employment purposes. Increasingly, employers in unrelated fields also require sustainability and green skills from their current and future employees, and search for them in resumes during the selection process and job interviews. 

Certainly, when writing a curriculum vitae, skills that users acquire in the context of language proficiency are essential, since the curriculum vitae is intended to present the candidate and highlight their competencies, experience, achievements, and abilities. Within this presentation, some of the key aspects of verbal comprehension and expression have been presented, such as:  

• Ability to express oneself clearly: The candidate must be capable of expressing their competencies, experiences, and achievement clearly and accurately so that the employer can understand what the candidate has accomplished and what they can offer.
• Spelling and grammar: Spelling and grammar mistakes in a resume can reduce a candidate's chances of being hired. Therefore, it is important that the candicate pays attention to the correct use of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Wrong style: The writing style should be appropriate and clear. The candidate must use appropriate words and sentences and use the right level of formality.
• Adaptability: The resume must be adapted to each job individually, so it is important that the candidate understands the job requirements and adapts accordingly. 

All of these skills are crucial in writing a resume, as they allow the candidate to clearly present their abilities and experiences and differentiate themselves from other candidates. 

As a conclusion, we emphasize that mobility and the use of Europass benefit not only individuals, but also business and society as whole. Companies seeking experts in the field of sustainability have access to a larger pool of potential candidates, which can contribute to the development and progress in these areas. Additionally, mobility and knowledge exchange between countries and regions can contribute to international cooperation and the exchange of best practices, which can lead to better solutions for sustainability challenges. Moreover, employment in the field of sustainability can contribute to reducing inequality and poverty, as well as improving the quality of life for people. 

Teach. assist. dr. Maja Kerneža and teach. assist. Dejan Zemljak

Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

University of Maribor

Slovenia

Teach. assist. dr. Maja Kerneža is a teaching assistant in the area of didactics of Slovenian language and literature at the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, and a researcher at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor. Her most frequent research interests are in the fields of literary didactics, comics, reading literacy, and digital literacy. She also focuses on the influence of digital learning environments on education and the incorporation of artificial intelligence in education, in keeping with the advancement of society. 

Teach. assist. Dejan Zemljak is a researcher at the Institute of Contemporary Technologies, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, where he conducts research within various national and European research projects. His primary research area is technical education, but he also conducts research in the fields of environmental protection, digitalization of education, artificial intelligence, etc. He also works as an assistant at the Department of Technology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, where he teaches students.