What You Need to Know

About this section


The focus of the guidance is on education for sustainable development and how FE providers can, through a whole institution approach:

  • embed education for sustainable development and sustainable development skills appropriately into their teaching practice in a meaningful way; and

  • contribute to achieving sustainable development in the widest sense by putting education for sustainable development at the heart of their offer – raising the awareness and understanding of all their stakeholders, identifying and meeting the needs of learners and employers around sustainable development and making it fit for purpose for National Occupational Standards etc

This approach will help build capacity for sustainable development in the FE system and help ensure sustainable development activity is fully integrated into the daily activities of FE organisations.

Teaching and Learning in a Nutshell


The FE system has a key role to play in creating a sustainable, globally aware society.
'All learners need to acquire the necessary skills, knowledge base, values and attitudes from the outset to be active global citizens in creating a sustainable society. This is predominately addressed through developments in curricula, pedagogy and experience. To achieve this there will need to be a comprehensive programme of continuing professional development (CPD) for staff at all levels within a provider's institution'.¹

Education and training has many drivers including National Occupational Standards, Sector Qualification Strategies, national curricula and employer and learner demand. Making sustainable development an underpinning principle of these key drivers must be shared goal for the FE system if it is to succeed in playing its key role.

There is also much that providers and individual teachers can do to make a difference on education for sustainable development. The primary objective of this section is to provide practical tools, advice and guidance to help you to embed sustainable development in the teaching and learning practices and materials used by your organisation. It will also provide guidance on how sustainable development can be integrated with specialist curriculum areas and how all learners and staff can be given a level of sustainability awareness and literacy.

Next Section: Sustainable Development Skills and Education for Sustainable Development               


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¹http://www.learning.wales.gov.uk/pdfs/esdstrategye.pdf