On November 15, 2023, GLOBE EU board members Sirpa Pietikäinen and Paul Tang welcomed speakers from the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the All European Academies (ALLEA), as well as representatives from Bee Group members Dow and Nestlé, and Microsoft and Lenovo.
During the meeting, participants discussed the integration of sustainability and digital skills into the European education system, the challenges faced, and potential solutions to support the European Green Deal and sustainable development.
Key points included:
- The need for a comprehensive approach to education that includes sustainability and digital skills across all levels, from early education to lifelong learning.
- The importance of teacher training and professional development to equip educators with the knowledge and confidence to teach sustainability and climate change topics.
- The role of universities in embedding sustainability into their curricula and fostering interdisciplinary approaches that include social sciences and humanities.
- The challenges of aligning educational content with national curricula and ensuring that sustainability topics are assessed to incentivize teaching.
- The potential of digital technologies, such as AI, to transform education but also the need to consider ethical implications and the environmental impact of digitalization.
- The significance of partnerships between educational institutions and the private sector to bridge the gap between education and industry needs.
- The European Commission’s Erasmus+ program’s focus on supporting green initiatives, including increasing mobility opportunities in forward-looking green domains and fostering collaboration among various stakeholders.
Overall, the meeting highlighted a collective ambition to advance sustainability and digital education but recognized the need for coordinated action, practical tools, and systemic change to achieve these goals.