Education for Sustainability, Graduate Capabilities, Professional Employment: How They All Connect

Abstract

Education for Sustainability (EfS) has an intimate relationship with professional employment as we seek to develop graduates who will take EfS values and understanding into their workplaces to build a sustainable future. The connection is through the capabilities that employers are wanting in the people they employ, and they are the outcomes of the educational experiences that we educators provide for the graduates. This article discusses the role of capabilities and their articulation in universities, particularly the types of capabilities sought by employers, both in Australia and more generally. We discuss similarities and differences articulated by academics and industry, and the implications for curriculum design and outcomes. In parallel, we note the discussion of capabilities associated with EfS and identify similarities with more broadly defined graduate capabilities. Research associated with the exploration of the breadth of the environment profession provides examples of the connections. These insights combine to highlight tension between what is sought by industry and what is needed to embed sustainable development actions into industry through the change agents graduated from our universities.

Meeting the Challenges of Engineering a Sustainable Future

“…For example, a survey of recruiters for over 100 construction companies located in the eastern United States of America found that they rated environmental awareness, along with communication skills, lowest among 14 key competencies, while other skills like ethical issues, problem-solving skills, and interpersonal skills were rated highly [34]. On the other hand, an Australian survey noted both the connections and differences between educational and professional employment requirements with respect to education for sustainability [35].…”

Development of a hands-on toolkit to support integration of ecodesign in engineering programmes

“…However, it is also of high relevance for engineering education. Thomas et al (2013) found i that graduates with an engineering degree (civil, environmental, chemical, aerospace and mechanical) are most often recruited in different disciplines in the industrial sector. The authors emphasise that these engineers require the relevant skills in order to capably handle SD.…”

“…Competences for SD and activating teaching methods: the importance of key competences for ecodesign (within SD) has been emphasised by several scholars (e.g. Thomas et al, 2013;Barth et al, 2014;Dlouh a and Burandt, 2014). A comparative study of Lambrechts et al (2013) indicates six recurring competences for SD, which are also applicable as ecodesign competences: responsibility, emotional intelligence, system thinking, future thinking, personal involvement and actionoriented skills.…”

“…The importance of competences for ecodesign (within SD) and the need for activating teaching methods that support these competences has been stressed in literature (e.g. Ferreira et al, 2006;Thomas et al, 2013;Barth et al, 2014) and are included in the toolkit, but they need to get a more prominent place in the practical application of the EHE-kit.…”

A Peaking and Tailing Approach to Education and Curriculum Renewal for Sustainable Development

“…The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) acknowledge energy efficiency initiatives as a relatively straightforward and cost effective way to reduce rising greenhouse gas emissions and manage rising energy costs [27,28]. Contributing professionals in this context include undergraduate and postgraduate students, and professionals undertaking continual professional development in the workforce [29]. This is recognised by the Institution of Engineers Australia in its policy on climate change and energy, which states that, "Engineers Australia believes that Australia must act swiftly and proactively in line with global expectations to address climate change as an economic, social and environmental risk" [30].…”