TECSKILL: Development of a Green and Digital Competence Framework for Engineering PhD Students

The TECSKILL project (Erasmus+ KA220-HED) addresses the need to integrate sustainability and digital competences into the education of European Engineering PhD students. By adapting competences from the GreenComp and DigComp 2.2 frameworks, an integrated framework was developed, encompassing 12 sustainability and 21 digital competences. To monitor the learning progress, 137 knowledge indicators were defined across four proficiency levels, ensuring a structured assessment of skill acquisition. The framework was implemented through four transnational training programs at universities in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden, providing PhD students with specialized lectures and hands-on workshops. A mid-term survey assessing student satisfaction confirmed the program’s effectiveness in enhancing competences and fostering international collaboration. Future research activities will focus on evaluating competence acquisition over the whole project, assessing the impact of the trainings on students' research and professional development, and optimizing the developed competence framework based on the final outcomes.