Workshop summary: Building sustainability skills and knowledge

Building sustainability skills in the workplace

Organizations are expected to align their operations with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, and employees play a vital role in turning sustainability pledges into action. In February Suvi Ferraz from Learnsy hosted a workshop with Sustainability Community Finland.

The workshop goal was to help participants understand how their job aligns with sustainability objectives and to guide participants in creating a personalized learning journey to enhance their expertise. The workshop focused on two key questions:

• What skills are needed for a career in sustainability?
• How can we integrate sustainability knowledge into our current roles?

Key topics

During the workshop, we explored several topics and engaged in short discussions around them:

• Ethical dilemmas. Sustainability principles aren’t universal; they evolve based on societal norms and behaviors.
• Choices and social influence. Our decisions shape both our personal lives and broader societal structures.
• Sustainable development & well-being. Prioritizing relationships and personal growth over material wealth.
• Embodying sustainability values. Understanding different sustainability perspectives (anthropocentrism, technocentrism, ecocentrism).
• Lifewide learning – Moving from awareness to action through continuous learning and everyday decisions.
• Evolving values and responsibility – How sustainability values develop over time and influence our actions.

Workshop activities

The two-hour workshop combined theory and hands-on activities, including individual reflections, and pair exercises.

1. Real-world sustainability dilemmas – Participants worked in pairs to analyze challenges and brainstorm solutions.

2. Crafting a sustainable career job posting – Attendees envisioned job roles that integrate sustainability expertise, reflecting on the skills they possess or need to develop.

3. Exploring ESG knowledge and skills –Participants explored how ESG  themes associate with job roles and determined the knowledge required.

Participant feedback

“It was a very engaging and insightful workshop! I wish this kind of workshops were organized at schools. I think all study programs should keep in mind the career paths students will take after their studies and help them get the jobs or at least help students develop the thinking of what kind of jobs they want to pursue.”

“It was hands-on and inspiring.”

“It was a great time spent and I really appreciate it! Learnsy has great content—excited to explore more into the subjects!”

“Thank you for giving such an insightful workshop! I really enjoyed the session and learned many useful ideas for my learning journey.”

A warm thank you to everyone for joining the workshop, engaging in lively discussions, and actively participating throughout!

Why sustainability training is essential?

Sustainability isn’t just an executive-level responsibility, every employee can contribute, no matter their role. By understanding sustainability principles, enhancing decision-making skills, and embracing continuous learning, we can all drive positive impact in our organizations and beyond.

Every employee has a possibility to generate positive impact in regardless what their job roles is.

- Suvi Ferraz, Learnsy