1 / 13

Sustainable Development – the role of higher education

Sustainable Development – the role of higher education. Steve Egan. EAUC conference 31 March 2008. Higher Education’s contribution. Role as educators Generation and transfer of knowledge Leadership of, and influence on, local, national and international networks

jfoley
Download Presentation

Sustainable Development – the role of higher education

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Sustainable Development – the role of higher education Steve Egan EAUC conference 31 March 2008

  2. Higher Education’s contribution • Role as educators • Generation and transfer of knowledge • Leadership of, and influence on, local, national and international networks • Business strategy and operations.

  3. Leitch • Leitch Review of Skills 2006 Recognised HE as a key contributor to the challenge of ensuring that the UK is a world leader in skills by 2020. • Leitch Implementation Plan ‘it is imperative that everyone in this country develops the skills of sustainable living and working. That means placing sustainable development at the heart of skills provision, ensuring that it is a fundamental goal of our economic and social progress.’

  4. Challenges • What are skills for sustainability? • Link to employability? • What are the ways in which partners can work together? • Another agenda in an already overcrowded curriculum? How can the existing curriculum be used to support SD e.g. work placement? • What can we as a sector do to effectively harness and increase drivers?

  5. Drivers • Students • Professional bodies • Targets and legislation • Employers • Sector Skills Councils • United Nations • Funding Councils

  6. Employer engagement • Higher Education Innovation Fund • Carbon Connections - UEA • UrbanBuzz: Building Sustainable Communities – UCL and UEL • Lifelong Learning Networks • CETLs • Pilot projects

  7. What are employers looking for? • Interpersonal skills • Team working • Problem solving • Communicator • Flexibility • Commitment • Networking • Proactivity • Motivation • Technical skills • Independent working • Planning www.prospects.ac.uk

  8. % 43 Business 31 performance 52 SME 30 Mid Caps Customer relations 23 12 FTSE 7 Product/service 3 development 4 3 Social responsibility 10 4 5 Employee retention 9 2 6 Increasing market 7 share 4 2 Keeping investors 3 happy 12 0 Carbon footprint 5 2 0 20 40 60 80 100 Business Barometer Chart source: Carbon Trust Business barometer Oct ‘07

  9. Sector Skills Councils Sustainability Skills Matrix for the built environment • Charts the key functional players • Identifies high level competences • Map existing competences and identify skills gaps • Measure industry progress • Assist future joint working

  10. United Nations Decade for ESD (2005-14) • to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. Regional Centres of Expertise • Opportunities for HEIs to connect locally • East Midlands – first RCE in the UK

  11. HEFCE’s role • Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) • C-SCAIPE - Kingston University • Centre for Sustainable Futures - University of Plymouth • Higher Education Academy • Facilitate collaborative working • Senior management commitment

  12. HEFCE’s role • Revolving green fund • Strategic review • Great deal has been done – diversity of approaches • Momentum for change needs to continue and increase • 2008 sustainable development action plan • Consultation summer 2008

  13. Further information http://www.hefce.ac.uk/lgm/sustain/ Steve Egan s.egan@hefce.ac.uk 0117 9317408

More Related