In our latest Hot Topics feature, we speak with Marina Braletić, electrical engineer, educator and co-author of the RESET teaching and learning manuals, about the evolving landscape of green vocational education in the Western Balkans.
As someone who has implemented two projects funded through the Regional Challenge Fund’s 1st and 2nd Calls for Expression of Interest, in cooperation with her colleague Danka Markuš, and through her long-standing collaboration with the RESET initiative, for which she co-authored manuals for students and teachers, available on Net4VET, Marina Braletić, now a Project Manager at FiveGroup, offers valuable insights into what it takes to prepare young people for careers in the renewable energy sector.
From the importance of practical, real-world training to the growing relevance of soft and digital skills, she explains why cooperative education models and a regional, partnership-based approach are essential to building a more sustainable and skills-driven future. The RESET manuals, developed under the project led by the ERI SEE Secretariat and supported by GIZ and BMZ, embody this approach by providing a comprehensive, hands-on framework for renewable energy training and are already making a strong impact across the Western Balkans.
The State of Green VET in the Western Balkans
“Vocational education in renewable energy across the Western Balkans is still evolving. While there is much room for improvement, especially in terms of equipment, materials and school-business cooperation, awareness of its importance is growing,” says Braletić.
As the renewable energy sector expanded rapidly, education systems lagged behind. “The market was flooded with a workforce lacking key qualifications and hands-on experience,” she explains. “But now, across the region, we’re seeing increasing efforts to improve—from curriculum reform to stronger ties with industry.”
Closing the Skills Gap for Green Jobs
We asked Marina what the greatest challenges in making vocational education relevant for green jobs are.
“The biggest challenge is that education systems often fail to keep pace with the fast-changing needs of the labor market, especially when it comes to green jobs. While the world moves rapidly toward decarbonization and digitalization, schools still struggle with outdated curricula, limited access to modern tools, and constrained opportunities for hands-on training.
Braletić emphasizes the need for stronger cooperation between schools and employers: “Another major challenge is the lack of connection between education and industry. Green jobs require skills that can’t be learned solely from textbooks. Students need to simulate real conditions, work with actual tools and see how systems operate in practice.
Mechanisms like Regional Challenge Fund are helping guide this transformation by aligning training programs with labor market needs and reinforcing the regional commitment to green education.
What Skills Do Students Really Need?
For young people aiming to work in renewables, Braletić outlines a skillset that blends the technical with the human:
“The renewable energy sector is no longer just a technical domain, it sits at the intersection of electrical engineering, IT, sustainability, and management. Young people need a balanced mix: strong technical foundations, digital literacy and well-developed soft skills”
From her dual perspective as an educator and current project manager in an IT company, she sees how digital skills, like system monitoring, simulation and optimization are becoming indispensable.
Why Cooperative and Dual Education Works
She views the RCF’s support for cooperative education as essential: “It’s the only model that truly prepares young people for the workplace. We need to continue developing and systematizing it across the region.”
RESET Manuals: A Tool with Lasting Impact
RESET manuals were developed within the broader framework of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, through the RESET project led by the ERI SEE Secretariat and supported by GIZ and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Together with educator Melanija Ćalasan, Braletić co-developed the RESET manuals with one key goal: to provide tools that are realistic, empowering and immediately useful in classrooms and workshops.
For students, the manuals combine theory with practice – quizzes, videos, real-life case studies, and even prompts for independent projects. For teachers, they offer a full pedagogical framework, including structured lesson plans and guidance for evaluation and collaboration with companies.
“These manuals are also relevant to ministries, vocational training centers, private institutions, and companies involved in practical training,” says Braletić. “In regions where access to real infrastructure, such as wind turbines or large-scale solar arrays, is limited, these resources ensure that learning remains meaningful, structured, and connected to the real needs of the industry.”
A Personal Mission Rooted in Education
Asked what motivates her, Braletić is clear: “My passion for change has always been rooted in education—and in the belief that knowledge has the power to transform communities. For many years, I was a teacher, and my students constantly reminded me how much potential and eagerness to learn there is, even when resources are limited.”
Now, some of those students are her colleagues. “There is no greater reward for a teacher than working side by side with those you once taught. It’s also a reminder that when we invest in education, we’re not just building skills, we’re building future colleagues.”
Building Job-Ready Skills for a Greener Western Balkans
Marina Braletić’s perspective reminds us that building a greener future is not only about technology, but about people, education, and collaboration.
Regional Challenge Fund plays a vital role by creating space for partnerships that bring vocational education closer to the real needs of the labor market. Its support for cooperative training models and green skills development is helping to lay the foundation for a more resilient, future-ready workforce across the Western Balkans. Marina’s work stands as a clear example of how vocational education, when supported strategically, can shape not just skills, but long-term change.