ICVEAST 2026: Connecting Technology, Green Skills and the Future of Sustainable Work
16 July 2026
SEMARANG, INDONESIA – The transition towards a more sustainable economy is changing what universities are expected to teach. Technical competence alone is no longer enough. Graduates also need to understand how technology can be used to address environmental challenges and support more responsible forms of economic and social development.
That question sits at the centre of the 8th International Conference on Vocational Education Applied Science and Technology (ICVEAST) 2026, organised by the Vocational Education Program of Universitas Indonesia and co-hosted for the first time by Universitas Diponegoro. The conference will take place on 16–17 July 2026 at the Gumaya Hotel in Semarang.
This year’s theme, “Technology-Enabled Sustainability: Advancing Green Skills in Applied Sciences,” reflects a simple premise: sustainability increasingly depends on people who can connect technical knowledge with real-world environmental and social needs.
ICVEAST has grown from the former International Conference on Vocation for Higher Education (ICVHE). Organised annually by the Vocational Education Program at Universitas Indonesia, the conference was rebranded in 2022 to place greater emphasis on applied science and technology and to create an international forum for scholars and practitioners. Its 2026 edition marks the first time the conference is co-hosted with Universitas Diponegoro.
The conference comes at a time when industries are changing rapidly. Automation, digitalisation and the transition towards more environmentally responsible production are reshaping the skills employers need. ICVEAST therefore brings together research and practice across administration and business, health science, social humanities and engineering to examine how education can respond to these changes.
Sustainability is becoming a skills issue
The organisers argue that the demand for green skills and sustainability-oriented competencies is rising as industries move towards more sustainable practices. Vocational education has a particular role to play because it prepares students for practical roles in emerging industries.
The challenge is not simply to add sustainability to the curriculum. It is to develop professionals who can apply technology to create sustainable solutions while remaining environmentally conscious and socially responsible. 1. TOR_UIGM_International Confe…
That requires cooperation beyond the classroom. Governments, businesses, non-governmental organisations and communities all hold different resources, expertise and perspectives. Collaboration allows these actors to combine those strengths and develop solutions that are more relevant to the problems they are trying to solve. 1. TOR_UIGM_International Confe…
Three ways to think about green skills
ICVEAST structures its discussions around three thematic tracks.
The first, Green Health Systems and Sustainable Care Technologies, looks at innovation in sustainable healthcare.
The second, Sustainable Business and Green Digital Innovation, examines how technology can support sustainable economic transformation.
The third, Smart Governance, Green Policy, and Social Transformation, focuses on policy, governance and how societies adapt to change.
Together, the three tracks broaden the idea of green skills. Sustainability is not confined to environmental science. It also concerns how businesses operate, how public institutions make decisions, how healthcare systems use technology and how societies respond to technological and environmental change.
A space for applied research
The conference is designed to connect research with practical challenges. It will bring together scholars, researchers, policymakers and practitioners from health science, business, engineering, social science and humanities, with an expected 500 participants.
The programme combines keynote speeches, discussions, parallel sessions and networking. On the first day, UI GreenMetric is allocated a keynote session from 15.30 to 16.30, followed by discussion. The second day will focus on parallel sessions and networking before the awards and closing sessions.
The participation of UI GreenMetric in the programme creates a direct connection between sustainable university development and the broader discussion on green skills. Universities are not only places where sustainability is taught. Their campuses, research programmes, policies and operations can also become practical environments for testing sustainable approaches.
From knowledge to action
The broader objective of ICVEAST is therefore more ambitious than discussing technology for its own sake. The conference seeks to explore how technology can support sustainable solutions, encourage green innovation and improve workforce readiness in emerging industries. 1. TOR_UIGM_International Confe…
This is where vocational education can make a difference. A sustainable transition requires people who can turn ideas into systems, policies, products and services. It requires researchers who can develop applied solutions, educators who can translate those solutions into skills, and institutions that can connect education with the needs of society and industry.
The 8th ICVEAST aims to bring these different perspectives into the same conversation. In doing so, it positions green skills not as a niche concern, but as part of the wider transformation of higher education and the workforce.
For universities, the message is increasingly clear: the future of sustainability will depend not only on what institutions teach, but on whether they can equip people with the skills to make sustainable ideas work in practice.
Written by Iskandar Hamonangan – Communications Coordinator, UI GreenMetric