From Green Transition to Green Employability: A Comparative Policy Analysis of Green Skills Development in ASEAN Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-gjefm/V2E8/2026-10Keywords:
Green skills, higher education, ASEAN, comparative policy analysis, green employability, education for sustainable development, curriculum greeningAbstract
Employers across Southeast Asia are beginning to demand skills that match a greening economy, not only in environmental professions but across finance, manufacturing, construction, and services. Higher education systems in the region, however, differ sharply in how they equip graduates for this shift. This article compares green skills development policies in six ASEAN countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Drawing on national policy documents, institutional strategies, and the scholarly literature, the comparison is organised around four dimensions: the depth of policy integration, the spread of sustainability content in curricula, investment in faculty development, and the strength of industry links for green skills. The findings show a wide gap between countries where green skills policy is coordinated at the system level (Singapore, Malaysia) and those where ambitious national targets have not yet produced widespread curriculum change (Vietnam, Philippines). Three bottlenecks cut across all six cases: the absence of discipline-specific green competency frameworks outside science and engineering, inadequate investment in training faculty to teach sustainability, and weak mechanisms for channelling green labour market intelligence into curriculum design. The article maps the current policy terrain and identifies leverage points for national reform, institutional strategy, and regional cooperation, including the potential of a regional qualifications framework for green competencies.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Uyen Pham Phuong, Nguyen Thi Giang, Anh Doan Viet, Thanh Pham Nhu, Ly Do Khanh (Author)
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