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What students want 

Students are the leaders of tomorrow and educational institutions play a crucial role in ensuring they graduate with the skills and knowledge required to lead the world to a fairer and more just future for all. 

SOS-UK research in 2019-20 showed that 65% of the 6000 student respondents from further and higher education want to learn more about sustainable development.  

With 300,000 students in the UK alone taking to the streets to demand more substantive action on climate change, universities and colleges are making unprecedented efforts to reduce their carbon footprints. But how well trained are staff and students to tackle the Climate Emergency and reduce emissions in line with legislation, local and organisational targets, and student interests?

Environment specialists cannot tackle the climate crisis on their own…

Providing timely support on delivering effective action to reach net-zero

With the launch of the University and College Carbon Literacy Toolkit, professional services staff, academic staff, and students in every UK university and college have access to free Carbon Literacy courses. These deliver a days’-worth of relevant action-based training, that empowers learners to play their full part in the transition to a low carbon society.
They also enable your university or college to be a catalyst for further action across your sector and region, to unlock the multiple civic co-benefits of action, from cleaner air to warmer homes, to safer streets.

The courses are in a ready-to-go, easily accessible format for in-house delivery and enable universities and colleges to create dynamic, interactive training. They are already accredited and free to download for any university or college. As such, the only cost to the institution is the £10 certification application fee for each learner.

Enhancing the student and staff experience from home

The courses are split into modules, altogether forming a days-worth of learning. Each module has been adapted for online delivery (blended learning, with self-study elements and webinars), with options for face-to-face delivery, meaning the courses offer a fantastic opportunity to engage staff and students with sustainability while working or studying from home.

As the UK accelerates its drive towards Zero Carbon, the boost to student employability CL training offers is clear. Learners start with the science of climate change and end by devising significant actions for themselves and their colleagues or fellow students. Their work is evaluated and successful participants are certified as Carbon Literate.

The Carbon Literacy Toolkit for Universities and Colleges provide that key pathway to a definitive strategy and action plan. To find out more please visit our Universities and Colleges webpage, then contact the team via education@carbonliteracy.com to discover how easy it is to begin the process. There is also a quarterly university and college newsletter which can be signed up to here.