United Kingdom: Skills Development for the Twenty-First Century

O R I E N T A T I N G T V E T F O R S U S T A I N A B L E

D E V E L O P M E N T

U N I T E D K I N G D O M : S K I L L S

D E V E L O P M E N T F O R T H E

T W E N T Y - F I R S T C E N T U R Y

J o h n B a i n e s , J u d i t h C o h e n a n d S t e p h e n M a r t i n

In t roduc t ion

The Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), together with the British

Council, provides the leadership for the UNEVOC centre in the United Kingdom (UK).

Original language: English

John Baines (United Kingdom)MBE and MIEnvSci. Vice-president of the Institution of Environmental Sciences; a trustee of

Pictorial Charts Education Trust. He chairs the UK-based project Professional Practice for

Sustainable Development. His professional work involves training courses, advice, writing edu-

cational materials, facilitating solutions and management for environmental projects and

sustainable development (SD). E-mail: [email protected]

Judith Cohen (United Kingdom)Regional Director for the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) in Yorkshire and the

Humber. She is a leader in the area of SD education, and jointly edited Learning to last (2003)

<www.learning2last.org/>. She has commissioned and made contributions to a number of pub-

lications to enrich the consultation process around the development of the Learning and Skills

Council�s SD strategy. E-mail: [email protected]

Stephen Martin (United Kingdom)Ph.D. Visiting professor in Education for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Technology, Centre

for Complexity and Change, Open University. Holds an honorary Professorship at University

College, Worcester. A SD consultant who has worked in the public and private sectors. From 1998

until 2000 he was Director of Learning for The Natural Step (UK). Author or co-author of many

publications on various aspects of education for SD. E-mail: [email protected]

Prospects, vol. XXXV, no. 3, September 2005

LSDA is a strategic national agency whose mission is to improve the quality of post-16

education and training in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It does this by

conducting research to inform and shape policy and practice, and through improvement

and support programmes for organizations that deliver post-16 education and training. It

brings policy-makers and practitioners closer together by making the links between

policy and practice explicit and straightforward. It has taken the lead in the learning and

skills sector in terms of sustainable development (SD) by managing projects for the

Learning and Skills Council, commissioning research projects and contributing to the

development of the national strategy for SD (see references, Learning to Last website).

In order to support the integration of SD in the mainstream vocational curriculum, a

series of small projects was initiated with providers and employers in three vocational

areas: agriculture, construction and food processing. The selection of providers was based

on a survey of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) (Martin et al., 2004). The

approach to current work was based on the principle that this new concept and area of

work for the sector will progress more effectively if it is rooted in the policy imperatives

and practice that institutions and teaching practitioners are responding to in their day-to-

day work. Because of this, the paper first considers the prevailing policy context for

vocational education and training and then describes the research project that was de-

signed to move this agenda forward.

Pol i cy contex t

A useful current overview of education and skills is provided by The Work Foundation

in the United Kingdom, which was commissioned by the British government to produce

�an analysis of UK Skills and Education Strategy in the light of the Kok Group and

European Commission Midterm Review of the Lisbon goals� (Hutton, 2005). The

Lisbon agenda challenges European governments to revitalize and accelerate their plans

to create the architecture for a knowledge economy. The logic of this argument is that

globalization, with the support of technology, has been levelling the playing fields, so that

countries like India are now able to compete equally for global knowledge work as never

before (Friedman, 2005). Simplification notwithstanding, the fear that Britain�s low

levels of basic skills, its merely moderate educational achievement (compared with France

and Germany), incoherent and insufficiently valued skills training and skills development

system, etc., will cause severe economic difficulties in the near future. These provide the

drive for the current policy context.

Vocational pathways and the issue of skills, therefore, are centre stage at the moment.

The two new strategies that have been launched in the first half of 2005 and have had the

greatest impact are:� 14 to 19 strategy;� skills: getting on in business/getting on at work.

At the heart of both of these strategies there is a common core – raising the status of

vocational education and involving employers in the design and delivery of provision.

Employer engagement is seen as vital to the development of skills for productivity.

Provision that is responsive to the needs of employers (referred to as �demand-led�) and

John Baines et al.356


workforce development will support the increased productivity, competitiveness and

efficiency of individual organizations and the wider economy. In England, further

education colleges and sixth-form colleges are now required to set targets for increasing

employer engagement within their 3-year development plans, which provide the basis for

their funding allocation from the Learning and Skills Council.

In the pre-19 phase, the emphasis is on collaboration between schools and colleges to

provide wider and more engaging vocational opportunities; in the adult phase, the

proposition is strongly articulated that the priority for public subsidy is to support those

without a �Level Two� (five General Certificate of Education passes or equivalent)

qualification.

Thus, using the lingua franca of the learning and skills sector and its conceptual

framework of skills, employer engagement and demand-led provision have more impact

on the sector than �sustainable development�. We have tried, in our current activity, to

translate the Five Capitals model1 (for example) into practical application at a local skills

level. The project is being evaluated as it progresses, particularly by local managers who

are keeping diaries of their experiences.

Sustainable development is a stated priority of the British Government and it is being

promoted and supported through a number of policy initiatives (DEFRA, 2005). As a

result of the 2004 consultation to develop a new British SD strategy, the following issues

have been identified as priorities for immediate action: (a) sustainable consumption and

production; (b) natural resource protection and environmental enhancement; (c) from

local to global: building sustainable communities; and (d) climate change.

In addition to these four priorities, changing behaviour also forms a large part of the

government�s thinking on SD. A cross-cutting priority, it provides the rationale and

guidance on how the government intends to encourage more sustainable behaviour. The

Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has produced the Sustainable Development

Education Action Plan, while government-supported bodies, such as the Learning and

Skills Council, are developing strategies to implement the plan. It falls to those with a

responsibility for planning and delivering vocational education to respond to both the

calls for SD education and for engagement with employers and others to identify the

skills that employees need. This project brings together these two policy thrusts. More

importantly, we argue that SD skills are synonymous with the future skill requirements

of the workforce.

As part of the remit of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to integrate SD into its

policy and practice, the LSDA is funding three specific projects in CoVEs where there is

already a significant amount of dialogue between employers and colleges on skills linked

to SD (see Learning and Skills Council and Centres of Vocational Excellence websites).

The LSDA wished to support projects that:� Identified leading-edge industrial practice in SD with the support of the appropriate

Sector Skills Council (SSC);� Specified the new or emerging skills in SD from each industrial sector;� Found new ways of embedding such skills into existing or new forms of demand-led

provision;� Evaluated and disseminated the findings from the pilot programmes.

United Kingdom: skills development for the twenty-first century 357


Three centres were chosen from those appearing in case studies described in the report

Contributing to sustainable development prepared by LSDA in 2004 (Martin et al., 2004).

C O N S T R U C T I O N : S O M E R S E T C O L L E G E O F A R T S A N D

T E C H N O L O G Y

The construction industry is one of the biggest in the United Kingdom. It contributes

approximately 10% to the country�s GDP and employs 1.5 million people. Such an

immense economic operation carries a large social and environmental responsibility. For

example, construction consumes some 260 million tonnes of primary aggregates (sand,

gravel and stone) per year, creating around 70 million tonnes of waste – half the UK�stotal – much of it ending up in landfill. Buildings, once completed, go on to account for

a full 50% of total energy consumption.

Somerset College is developing a US$4.5 million regional sustainable construction

centre called �Genesis� to promote sustainability in the construction industry (see Genesis

Project and Somerset College of Arts and Technology websites). It will provide complete

courses in education and training for all aspects of sustainable construction. It also gives

product demonstrations and advice so that students, the industry and the public can

learn about innovative ways of building new structures, insulation, energy conservation,

alternative energy sources (solar and wind power), waste management, water use and

conservation, sustainable drainage, composting and use of more sustainable building

materials. Through this project the college is surveying the needs of employers and

employees to determine their requirements for updating skills so that they can respond to

the sustainability agenda. It recognizes the need to initiate training programmes at both

ends of the skills hierarchy, i.e. at architect/specifier level and at the practical construction

trades level. Using the outcomes of the survey, the college will prepare and deliver both

an accredited continuing personal development module for updating professionals and

practical skills training in the use of sustainable building materials.

A G R I C U L T U R E : B I S H O P B U R T O N C O L L E G E

British farming contributes $12.6 billion per year to the UK economy, while directly

employing 600,000 people (if seasonal and part-time employees are included). It supplies

the bulk of the food in the UK food chain, itself worth US$103 billion per year and

employing 3.3 million people. Farming has also shaped the physical structure of our

landscape upon which rural tourism is based and is a crucial contributor to biodiversity

and wildlife in a variety of habitats. Yet farming is in crisis. Some characteristics of the

current problems include:� Low farm incomes;� Hardship created by BSE (mad-cow disease) and foot-and-mouth disease, which

resulted in a ban on exports;� The high cost of new animal welfare legislation;� The introduction of genetically modified crops;� Public concerns about food safety and the environment.



Against this background, the fundamental question of how to achieve a sustainable

agricultural and land-use system has to be addressed. This college aims to contribute to

the objective of �developing a sustainable modern, diverse and adaptable farming

industry, working in partnership with the rest of the food chain�.Farming has a huge impact on the natural environment and careful management is

essential to reduce or eliminate damage and, as far as possible, enhance its quality. The

aim of the project is to build on the links the college has with the agricultural industry

and utilise them to ensure the skills the college delivers to learners are closely linked

with the needs of the industry, relating particularly to aspects of sustainable farming

(see Bishop Burton College website). The project has identified �precision agriculture�2

as a likely SD skill within this sector and is working with local and national stake-

holders to develop learning materials to build the related skills into the �Level Three�curriculum.

F O O D P R O C E S S I N G : U N I V E R S I T Y O F L I N C O L N , H O L B E A C H

C A M P U S

The food and drink sector is the single largest manufacturing industry in the UK. It

employs some half a million people directly, and 3.4 million when taking into account

the whole food chain and ancillary industries. The industry is worth US$121 billion

nationally, accounting for 15% of the total manufacturing sector. The food and drink

industry buys two-thirds of all the UK�s agricultural produce. Over half of the UK food

processors have operations in Lincolnshire, obtaining vegetables and produce from local

growers and supplying the major supermarkets. Food and drink is the biggest spending

category. In 2003, consumer expenditure on food and drink came to US$264.2 billion,

representing 21% of British national consumer expenditure.

Sustainable development is one of the key challenges facing society in the twenty-first

century and, in supplying the world�s population with �the staff of life�, the food and

drink industry lies at the heart of sustainability. The food industry is subject to a wide-

range of issues within the context of SD. We may mention issues such as: food safety;

diet and health; consumer trust; contamination through the use of pesticides and other

agro-chemicals; resource usage, e.g. water for processing and packaging materials; energy

consumption and CO2 emissions through processing and transportation; a generally low-

wage sector with a high turnover of staff and recent reliance on large numbers of migrant

workers. All of these need to be addressed through a SD framework.

The food companies in this area of Lincolnshire are required by their customers – the

supermarkets – to train their employees to understand and demonstrate competence in

hygiene practices by attaining the Foundation Food and Hygiene Certificate. Foreign

nationals are essential to this industry and there is a commitment from the companies to

raise the skills of foreign nationals by providing training opportunities. However, their

pass rate is substantially lower than that for native English speakers. The project will

support the integration of foreign national workers in the food industry, securing for

them long-term employment and social inclusion, while aiding the economic stability of

the industry (see Lincoln University, Holbeach campus website).



Three consultants with expertise in SD and training were appointed, one to each

centre, to assist the project leaders. The three 1-year projects are destined to be completed

in July 2005. The learning acquired from these projects will be disseminated and used to

promote partnership working that will embed skills for SD into vocational training.

Below we describe progress to date, some of the lessons that are being learned and issues

that still need to be resolved. We have also invited authors working in contrasting

countries to comment on the findings and offer examples of their approaches to what is

becoming a global challenge.

Participants in the three projects include, Sector Skills Councils, local authorities,

industry fora and professional organizations, as well as colleges and employers.

What i s be ing l ea rned f rom the par tner sh ip approach?

C O M M I T M E N T

Centres of Vocational Excellence were chosen where there was already dialogue between

employers and colleges on developing courses around skills for SD. The projects are

facilitating progress and the partners have shown that they are enthusiastic about working

together. All have recognized the mutual benefits of working together on this topic. For

example, employers recognize that there is a direct business benefit in working more

sustainably. The major supermarkets demand that suppliers of food products ensure that

employees working with food possess basic food hygiene qualifications. In the con-

struction industry companies can expand their range of construction techniques. In

agriculture, farm workers are able to apply precision agricultural techniques that reduce

per unit production costs, as well as meeting relevant environmental standards. There is

also recognition that there is a moral case for SD practice, in particular the need to be

socially and ecologically responsible. Projects, in two instances, are working closely with

multinational employers who have published corporate social responsibility policies and

programmes. Other driving forces include pressure from customers and shareholders,

legal requirements and the need to prevent damage to brand images.

The food companies in the area require their employees to understand and demon-

strate competence in hygiene practices by attaining the Foundation Food and Hygiene

Certificate (see University of Lincoln website).

Making the business case for sustainable construction is important. However, it is

difficult to cost sustainable building compared to traditional methods (see Somerset

College of Arts and Technology website).

I N T E R P R E T A T I O N S O F S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T

It soon became evident that people involved in the projects had different interpretations

of what SD meant. It became necessary for partners to explore these perceptions, rec-

ognize their differences and reach a workable consensus. In the food hygiene project,

�sustainable� was taken to mean that the subsequent delivery of the training must be

sustainable: it must be able to continue beyond the end of the funding. In the farming



project, the environmental aspects of SD were dominant. The consultants have been able

to help the partners develop convergent thinking about SD, but it shows the kind of

difficulties that might be experienced when embedding skills for SD into vocational

education. An associated issue was how far the skills training should also include raising

awareness of SD issues. The construction project partners considered that raising

awareness of SD issues was an essential part of courses as it provided a context for

learning and using the new skills. In the farming project, it was considered less important

because the new skills would become standard practice. In the food hygiene project,

partners were keen to enhance the employment prospects of immigrant workers and to

help them integrate better into local communities through vocational training – both of

which were goals of SD. However, there were no plans to raise awareness of SD issues.

There is a lack of direct awareness of sustainability developments by those involved in the

project, although there is a desire to achieve outcomes such as social integration of

migrant workers that help achieve the government�s SD strategy in the area of social

inclusion (see University of Lincoln website).

A L L O W I N G T I M E F O R P A R T I C I P A T I O N

Effective partnerships require time for meeting, talking, and making decisions that

everyone can accept. The opening stages of the projects involved much consultation with

partners and this has proved to be very time consuming. However, the high level of �buy-

in� of the partners is partly due to this consultation and this should make for stronger and

more sustainable project outcomes. The challenge for the project managers has been to

work with a number of partners large enough to be considered representative, while

keeping it small enough for regular effective dialogue to take place. Between five and

twelve partners have been involved in these three projects. In a nine-month project,

twelve partners is proving difficult and time consuming to manage.

Twelve stakeholders, including groups such as the Royal Society for the Protection of

Birds, LANTRA (the Sector Skills Council for the Environmental and Land-based Sector),

the Environment Agency and Unilever, are very positive towards the agricultural project

and are keen to be involved in curriculum development. However, a major problem for

them is finding time within their existing programmes (see Bishop Burton College website).

S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T S K I L L S

The employers in these projects are at an early stage of identifying appropriate training

and skills for SD. The skills that employers in each of the vocational sectors of this

project perceive as essential for SD are very different. For example, in food hygiene there

was a need for improved English-language skills, in sustainable agriculture a need for

improved information technology skills and in the construction industry a need for

construction workers to be competent to work with new materials.

It is also difficult to predict what skills will be needed in the future. Technological

change is so rapid that new skills are constantly required to take advantage of the

technology. As new materials become available, new skills are required to construct with



them safely and effectively. Achieving an accurate assessment of the future skill

requirements for the sector is therefore difficult (see Somerset College of Arts and

Technology website).

One of the college partners stated that there is a need amongst students for awareness-

raising in SD: why it is needed, what the costs and benefits are and how to apply the

principles in practice. Case studies, hands-on experience and checklists have been sug-

gested as a means of helping to embed sustainable practice into daily working activities.

The project is finding that skills traditionally required in one trade or profession are now

being required in others. For example, farm workers need skills in information technology,

as well as traditional skills in tractor driving, animal husbandry and weather forecasting.

The projects are finding that the partnership approach is better at identifying SD skills

than the centres in the colleges or the employers working independently. The CoVEs bring

research into the latest developments, while the employers contribute the experience of day-

to-day operations. One of the benefits of the partnership approach of these projects is that

all the partners can share their knowledge, experiences and ideas in favour of training

programmes that are commercially, socially and environmentally attractive to them.

The agricultural project is building on the links that the college has with the agri-

cultural industry and utilising them to ensure the skills we are delivering to learners are

closely linked with the needs of that industry, relating particularly to aspects of sus-

tainable farming (see Bishop Burton College website).

Although the projects have not identified any specific SD skills that cut across the

three sectors, those working in SD education recognize a number of generic skills where

it is important for employees to be competent if they are to integrate SD principles into

their working practices. They include:� an ability to envisage future scenarios and appreciate the range of potential

consequences of actions,� an ability to identify those consequences that are detrimental to the economy, society

and the environment,� an ability to reduce those damaging consequences through solving problems holistically

using a systems approach.

Employees must also possess the motivation to act appropriately. This usually comes about

through education, emphasizing the need to raise awareness alongside the teaching of skills.

E X I S T I N G V O C A T I O N A L C O U R S E S

The qualifications for the courses we are working with have no explicit requirement for

SD knowledge or skills. SD is still not part of the mainstream course and is dependent

upon the enthusiasms of individual colleges and lecturers. It is recognized that the course

also needs to include relevant aspects of sustainability (see University of Lincoln website).

This raises an issue that is as yet unresolved. Are SD knowledge and skills to be

additional to, instead of or integrated with existing course content?

If the knowledge and skills are additional, then more time and/or resources are

needed. For example, in the food hygiene training, the new course requires two staff and

takes 2 days instead of one. Line managers in a food-processing industry are sometimes



reluctant to allow their workers time off to attend longer courses because it interferes

with production schedules. Some participants dropped out of training courses at short

notice because of work requirements.

Although there is a commitment from companies to improve the educational and

training standards of their staff, the business pressure of releasing staff from shifts for

2 days is a real issue (see University of Lincoln website).

In the construction project, the skills needed to use the new materials are taught as

further training and will lead to an additional qualification.

If the knowledge and skills taught replace other content, then there is the difficult

negotiation with employers about what to drop from existing courses. Most of the skills

currently taught will still be needed.

If the knowledge and skills can be integrated with existing content, then it should not

be difficult or time consuming to add a �sustainable dimension� to topics, as long as

lecturers and trainers are adequately prepared.

It is also a challenge to find a balance between SD learning (having a context for using

new skills and knowledge) and the technical learning associated with geographic infor-

mation systems (location) and data management (what is needed to carry out the task)

(see Bishop Burton College website).

The University of Lincoln is looking at the idea of providing a short module in SD to

all students, whatever course they might attend.

An associated issue recognized but not covered in this project is how to bring SD

training to those working in smaller businesses that do not normally provide continuing

professional development opportunities to their staff.

Other issues arising include reaching practising professionals and trades people,

especially those working in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). There is little

continuing professional development material available to them, few case studies and

limited access to experienced and qualified sustainable construction trainers and opera-

tives (see Somerset College of Arts and Technology website).

T R A I N I N G F O R L E C T U R E R S

The three CoVEs were chosen because they were already engaged with employers in

identifying new and emerging skills in SD. One CoVE, in particular, has identified the

need to train its staff in SD thinking and teaching approaches so that the staff can

become more effective at teaching the new courses.

The company trainers using the materials will also need some training in sustainability

issues to make meaningful use of the new content (see University of Lincoln website).

E V A L U A T I O N

The project managers are recording their progress carefully in the form of a diary. The

intention is to use this information to provide insight into:� the SD skills and materials that have been identified and developed;� the process and development of �employer engagement� in this area of skills development;



� the role and relationship of Sector Skills Councils and the transferability of new skillsand learning to other contexts;

� the impact on learners and tutors;� the transferability of the outcomes of the projects to other occupational sectors.The

LSDA will be specifying further work to follow on from this research on the basis of theevaluation report.

Conc lus ion

Making SD meaningful is a significant challenge for the learning and skills sector, not

least in bringing the concept down to earth for a wider audience of key stakeholders –

employers, trainees and the wider public. This study has found that in several CoVEs the

language and practice of SD is implicit, but not yet explicit. Consequently, this is an

issue for the learning and skills sector. How is it to communicate and spread emerging

good practice about providers who are inculcating the values and learning that are

essential if the private sector is to take a path that protects the future by both using

resources more efficiently and meeting economic, social and environmental needs.

An important element of making SD more meaningful is the process of defining and

categorizing the new and emerging generic and technical skills that will be required in all

occupations. This is no simple task and has no discernable end-point, but it is never-

theless critically important in maintaining the relevance and credibility of the vocational

educational training system in the UK. Sector Skills Councils have responsibility for

determining the skills needs for their industry. The skills trends identified in this report

are critical for their work.

These projects are stimulating the stakeholders to develop and test new ways of

thinking and working that will encourage the identification and teaching of knowledge

and skills needed for SD in their sectors. Specific areas for further investigation in the

second half of the project include:� What are the main opportunities and obstacles within the sectors to the teaching of

skills for SD?� Is there a specific set of SD skills that are applicable to each occupational sector?� Are there any generic skills that employees need to practice SD effectively?� Are the new skills required additional to, in place of or integrated with existing skills?� What are the training requirements for company and college trainers?� How far is the learning transferable to other sectors?

Note s

1. The �five capitals� model for sustainable development provides a basis for assessing an organi-zation�s progress towards SD based on the economic concept of wealth creation or capital. Anyorganization uses five forms of capital, namely natural, social, human, manufactured and

financial: <www.projectsigma.com/guidelines/Sigmaguidlines.pdf>2. An agricultural management system that promotes variable management practices within a field

according to site or soil conditions: <www.precisionag.org/word/intro.doc>



References

Baines, J. 2005. Sustainable development and the vocational curriculum interim report April 2005.

London: LSDA.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 2005. Securing the future: UK GovernmentSustainable Development Strategy. London: DEFRA.

Friedman, T.L. 2005. It�s a flat world, after all: a brief history of the twenty-first century. NewYork Times (New York, NY), 3 April.

Hutton, W. 2005. Where are the gaps? An analysis of UK Skills and Education Strategy in the light ofthe Kok Group and European Community Midterm Review of Lisbon goals. London: The

Work Foundation. <www.theworkfoundation.com/research/gaps.jsp> .

Martin, S. et al. 2004. Contributing to sustainable development. London: LSDA.

Websi te s

Bishop Burton College: <www.bishopburton.ac.uk/sitefiles/homepage.html>.

Centres of Vocational Excellence: <cove.lsc.gov.uk/index.cfm>.

Genesis Project: <www.genesisproject.com/>.

Learning and Skills Council: <www.lsc.gov.uk/National/default.htm>.

Learning and Skills Development Agency: <www.lsda.org.uk/home.asp>.

Lincoln University, Holbeach Campus: <www.lincoln.ac.uk/holbeach/>.

Somerset College of Arts and Technology: <www.somerset.ac.uk/>.



Documents

United Kingdom: Skills Development for the Twenty-First Century