Part I
Foundations
- 1The Case for a Circular Economy
- 2Circular Principles and Business Models
- 3Mapping Materials and Product Journeys
A ten-module course in three formats
Circular Economy Skills for TVET
A Train-the-Trainer Programme
Circular Economy Skills for TVET: A Train-the-Trainer Programme is written for TVET trainers in any country. It prepares the people who teach the trades, from the master trainers of national training institutes to instructors, assessors and curriculum developers across technical and vocational education and training (TVET), to teach the circular economy safely, accurately and at the right level. Over ten modules, trainers follow real products and materials from their starting point to their end fate, such as an end-of-life car, the high-voltage battery of a hybrid taxi or a load of rubble, and learn what each journey asks of workers. Every module adds one step to a Circular Skills Unit, a Vignette-First teaching unit for the trainer's own trade, which each trainer teaches to peers at the end of the course.
Course materials are for enrolled students and lecturers. You will need the enrolment code your lecturer gives you.
- Level
- Professional development for TVET staff; no prior knowledge of the circular economy needed
- Length
- 10 modules; about 90 notional hours of learning in either full format
- Assessment
- Online tests, an exercise portfolio, a 15-minute micro-teach and the written Circular Skills Unit
- Materials
- Textbook in two editions, slide decks, cheat sheets, online tests, a capstone workbook and a toolkit
- Cohort
- 12 to 25 trainers
Who it is for
For the trainers who will teach the circular economy in their trades
The course is for the people who teach, assess and plan the trades that a circular economy changes most. It serves master trainers and trainers of national training institutes, TVET trainers and lecturers in other public and private centres, workshop instructors and supervisors, curriculum and programme developers, assessors and quality officers, experienced technicians moving into training, and in-company trainers in vehicle, bus, construction, repair and waste businesses. The trades in view are automotive mechanics and electronics, auto-electrical work, body repair, refrigeration and air-conditioning, electrical installation, electronics, building construction, plumbing, welding and carpentry, and waste and logistics operations.
- Master trainers at national training institutes
- TVET trainers and lecturers
- Workshop instructors and supervisors
- Curriculum and programme developers
- Assessors and quality officers
- Technicians moving into training
- Industry and CPD trainers
Curriculum
Ten modules in four parts
From why a country needs a circular economy to teaching it in a workshop: every module adds one part to your Circular Skills Unit, a Vignette-First teaching unit for your own trade.
Part II
Circular Mobility
- 4End-of-Life Vehicles and Tyres
- 5Batteries and Electric Mobility
Part III
The Other Priority Sectors
- 6The Circular Built Environment
- 7Repair, Reuse and Consumer Goods
- 8Waste, Organics and Producer Responsibility
Part IV
Teaching and Scaling Circular Skills
- 9Designing and Assessing Vignette-First Learning
- 10Scaling Circular Skills: Frameworks, Inclusion and Evaluation
Formats
Three ways to take the course
10-day intensive
Ten days, one module a day: a 150-minute module session each morning and a practice lab each afternoon (demonstrations, site work and rehearsal), in which trainers build their Circular Skills Unit and teach it as a micro-teach on Day 10.
- Pattern
- One module a day for ten days
- Contact time
- About 56 hours: each day a 150-minute module session, a capstone clinic, a practice lab and a review
- Self-study
- About 30–40 hours of reading, exercises and capstone work
- Practice
- Nine afternoon practice labs, from a vehicle-journey wall map to a repair café
- Capstone
- One step drafted each day in a 30-minute capstone clinic; micro-teaches on Day 10
- Suits
- Cohorts that can be released full-time for two weeks
10-week blended course
One module a week: a 150-minute session, self-study with the online tests, and one activity tried with the trainer's own learners before the next session.
- Pattern
- One module a week for ten weeks
- Contact time
- About 32 hours: ten 150-minute sessions, two 2-hour workshop labs and a 3-hour micro-teach session
- Self-study
- About 55–60 hours, including one activity a week tried with your own learners
- Practice
- Workshop labs in Weeks 4 and 5, and a learner activity tried with your own class each week
- Capstone
- One step a week between sessions; micro-teaches after Week 10
- Suits
- Trainers who keep teaching while they study
3-day short course
The Essentials edition over three days: 80-minute module sessions, three or four a day.
- Day 1
- Modules 1–3: why a country needs a circular economy, its principles and business models, and mapping a product's journey from starting point to end fate
- Day 2
- Modules 4–7: end-of-life vehicles and tyres, batteries and electric mobility, the circular built environment, and repair and reuse
- Day 3
- Modules 8–10: waste and producer responsibility, designing and assessing a Vignette-First unit, and scaling circular skills
- Materials
- Essentials textbook, short decks, cheat sheets and online tests
Inside the course site
Everything in one place
The textbook, online
The full edition and the shorter Essentials edition, with search, chapter navigation and every exercise.
Online tests
Module tests and a final exam, with answers, explanations and the section to revisit after you submit.
Revision tools
Flashcards for every chapter, a searchable case library, the glossary, reading lists and cheat sheets.
A toolkit to take away
Editable templates for mapping product journeys, writing safe procedures, building vignettes and measuring what learners gain.
For lecturers
Lecturer notes, slides with speaker notes, the test bank and a results dashboard for the cohort.
Private by design
No tracking and no third-party services. The site stores only what it needs to run the course.
Ready to start?
Create your account with the enrolment code from your lecturer, or sign in if you already have one.