Given the existential environmental issues affecting current and future generations, there is an urgent need to drastically accelerate climate change and sustainability education.

At The Sheffield College, we are committed to embedding climate change and sustainability across everything we do.

As we mark the Association of Colleges’ National Green Week from 17th to 21st March 2025, now is a time to reflect on what we want to achieve and why it matters.

We have also hosted our first Big College Green Week with a range of activities taking place across our campuses including a meat free Monday and clothing ‘swap shops’.

There is still much work to be done within educational institutions globally on integrating environmental sustainability into teaching and learning.

It is one of our top priorities as part of a wider pledge to be a responsible and sustainable organisation as outlined in the college’s newly launched Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030.

Findings from Students Organising for Sustainability in 2025 have highlighted that young people want to understand the world they will inherit. However, they don’t feel their education equips them for that reality. In their view, climate change remains sidelined rather than being recognised as a defining issue of our time.

They want to know about solutions, not just be given warnings of disaster and to understand how these issues link to more structural ones such as inequality, for example.

Meanwhile, a UNESCO report published last year on curricula from 85 countries found that 69% had no references to climate change and 66% made no reference to sustainability. Consequently, there have been calls for education to adapt as it is often overlooked when it comes to tacking climate change.

Colleges are at the heart of their communities educating and training thousands of young people and adults a year from diverse backgrounds and across a wide range of provision.

Therefore, colleges have a key role educating students on sustainability in addition to preparing them with the skills they will need as the future workforce for the green economy. These topics need to move beyond the confines of traditional subject areas such as geography and science so they are taught across the curriculum.

In order to address these issues, we have set up an Environmental Sustainability and Learning Working Group which includes student representation.

The overall aim is to ensure that our students grasp the impact of climate change and understand how it is relevant to their personal and future working lives. Our Environmental Sustainability Manager has played a key role in bringing this together.

We want students to understand what actions can be undertaken and which contribute to making our communities more sustainable, equitable, just and climate resilient.

It is important to empower students to take informed decisions and responsible actions and prepare them for a world where climate change will continue to have a significant impact.

In addition, it is vital that our students develop the skills for the green economy and that align to changing practices and technologies aimed at making organisations more sustainable.

This has implications for our teaching staff and their professional development. Research by the Ministry for Eco Education has found that some students feel the issue is too large to tackle and they lack agency.

Amongst teaching staff, there may be a lack of knowledge and confidence in delivery. Suitable resources need to be developed in addition to creating time and space in the curriculum. Furthermore, staff need to be equipped to be able to respond to climate anxiety.

The working group has developed a framework for embedding sustainability in the curriculum. A key focus is teaching practice, whether that’s educating construction students about working with the latest materials to journalism students developing stories on these issues.

We also plan to integrate climate change and sustainability into tutorials and enrichment activities such as college events, trips, guest speakers and volunteering.

Our first steps as part of the framework involve mapping the curriculum against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which focus on people and the planet.

Sustainable development is not just about the environment; it also links to other factors such as poverty, education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, and affordable and clean energy.

Curriculum staff are being asked to map the 17 Sustainable Development Goals against their current courses. They receive a mapping report which shows the sustainability skills their students are developing through their current practices and any gaps.

Securing student engagement is essential. Those who want to take a highly active role can consider being elected to the Environment Officer role as part of The Sheffield College Students’ Union.

Students are also represented in other ways on the Environmental Sustainability Working Group by their peers including The Sheffield College Students’ Union President.

In creating a better understanding of climate change, we need to equip and empower our students and staff to have conversations about our changing planet and the solutions.

There are useful teaching resources that we can draw on that are further education sector specific including those provided by the Education and Training Foundation. In addition, educational institutions like ours need to set an example by implementing sustainable practices and reducing their carbon footprint.

We are committed to creating a more holistic approach to climate change and sustainability education that equips students with the knowledge and tools for a more positive future. Find out more about our new Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030.

By Dan Bell, Assistant Principal, The Sheffield Sixth Form, The Sheffield College