The new partnership aims to provide free upskilling for young people for sustainability and environmental careers.
Now launched as a pilot for winter term, five primary and secondary schools are participating, located in Manchester, Kent, Dartford, and London. The interdisciplinary resources meet into the existing National Curriculum learning objectives, with the first focus on sustainable consumption.
Following the trial, from 2024 onwards the content will be available to all schools through an online portal. The programme has been developed with theory and practical applications in mind to improve understandings of both business challenges posed by the environmental crisis and solutions. Case studies from across the globe are included, and an emphasis is placed on critical and creative thinking.
‘Our expertise lies in developing unique and one-of-a-kind climate-focused curriculums for purpose-driven organisations and connecting them with schools in the Primary and Secondary sectors. Working with dentsu on this program has been a dream as they are already so switched on and forward-thinking around these issues,’ said Phil Wharton, co-founder of climate education provider Gen C.
‘The suite of lessons developed will provide children with a unique and inspiring learning experience as they will be able to see first-hand how what they are being taught in the classroom connects to real-world scenarios and job roles,’ he continued. ‘This allow them to take a look into the future with optimism and imagine how they can be part of the solution.’
Earlier this year, a report by the City of London Corporation revealed an urgent need for green skills in the current workforce, and programmes to begin preparing young people for potential futures in associated sectors. In construction alone, there could be demand for 250,000 environmentally trained professionals within the next three years just to ensure all projects in the capital had the necessary resources to build as sustainably as possible.
‘Education is where change begins. It’s the first step in creating truly sustainable, legacy businesses that are prepared for the future. In our conversations with teachers, we’ve learned that many students just aren’t motivated to learn – they don’t see the point when the world is on fire,’ said Angela Tangas, CEO UK&I, dentsu.
‘Through these resources and dentsu’s broader social impact programme, which has already empowered 15,000 young leaders in the UK and 35,000 globally, we are re-engaging young people by showing that solutions exist and there are purpose-driven companies out there for them to join when they leave school,’ she continued.
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Image: CDC