Other Key Drivers

The more specific drivers for an FE provider to implement sustainable development at community and business level are varied. These are explored further in the resources pages but include the following:

• External drivers. These include legislation, EU or national regulations and local requirements such as planning or transport requirements, all of which may need direct and immediate action to ensure compliance.

• Current policy. For example, the FE White Paper, the Leitch Implementation Report, the recent HM Treasury review of subnational economic development and regeneration, all aim to ensure that skills provision becomes more appropriate to both the needs of the employer and the individual this will also include skills and education for sustainable development. The proposals are intended to ensure that providers deliver high quality education and training services and that this leads to real returns.

• Voluntary Standards. There are many voluntary standards that organisations can subscribe to that will contribute towards a dimension of sustainable development in its broadest sense and that are now being promoted as good practice for all organisations. For example Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), more currently known as Corporate Responsibility (CR), is increasingly being demanded from large public sector organisations. There is no universally accepted definition of CSR, but organisations (see resources) as diverse as the UN, and Business in the Community (click here to go to their website) are broadly in agreement relating to CSR’s role in improving the positive impact of responsible businesses and good citizenship. CSR is a commitment by organisations, including businesses and the public sector, to respect human rights, to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life for its workforce, their families and the wider local community and society. This responsibility considers each organisation’s role in relation to community, environment and the workplace. The project SIGMA guidelines (see the Leadership and Management section) are also another useful tool to promote good corporate responsibility. Other standards such as accredited to the Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and ISO 14001 also demonstrate commitment to managing and improving environmental impacts; Investors in People is another standard to demonstrate an organisation’s investment in staff development and welfare as well as policies that encourage work life balance and health and safety policies and management systems.

• Individual champions. There may be an individual or a group of people interested in sustainable development issues within a provider. They may for instance, be pressing for more urgent and comprehensive progress towards action relating to sustainable development.

• Bottom line costs. All organisations are subject to increasing bottom line costs and the need to improve competitiveness. Opportunities for saving money can be clearly identified in many cases, particularly when looking at environmental improvements such as promoting site wide energy efficiency; and social measures such as implementing policies that will boost staff retention, for example family friendly policies.

• Student pressure. The Future Leaders Survey received 54,240 responses from university and college applicants aged 17-21 for the academic year 2006/2007. It provides a good insight into student attitudes to sustainability. The survey found that being provided with the knowledge and skills to tackle sustainable development issues is an important factor for many young people considering a choice of college or university. Many are conscious of their individual impacts and are taking action such as buying locally and avoiding larger supermarket chains, using more sustainable modes of transport or joining a third world development charity. There are also voluntary groups such as StudentForce for Sustainability (click here to access their website), who place students in jobs to help local communities as well as overseas.