Education and training
Despite the challenging times we are living in, interest in our programmes and training continues to grow
WE SEE INCREASED interest in the field of sustainability science from a diverse group of people, ranging from university students to senior executives.
The COVID-19 pandemic took its tool on our education programmes, forcing teaching to go online for the first half of 2021 and limiting fieldwork opportunities for thesis students.
This affected the ability of new students to get to know each other and the teaching staff, and reduced the breadth of learning opportunities usually available through our courses, particularly in terms of group work.
It also severely reduced contact with SRC staff and events.
Teachers and students have worked incredibly hard to create online activities that could help to reduce the impacts of not meeting in person.
Amid the challenges, there is good news. We have received increased interest in our programmes and courses, which means that we have bolstered our own team responsible for running and supporting the various activities we have to offer.
In order to support this growing sector at the SRC, a Teachers’ Board has been established.
The board will give us recommendations on how education at the centre could continue to develop, while also supporting teachers and students in their ongoing work.
New tasks and roles were added to clarify and further emphasise the role of education in our ongoing work: Lisen Schultz and Michele-Lee Moore joined the Education team as director of education and director of transdisciplinary education, respectively.
Graduate level
Our master’s programme Social-ecological Resilience for Sustainable Development ran as normally as possible in.
While teaching during the first half of 2021 was largely conducted online, the start of the new academic year saw the return of students and teaching staff to the SRC.
This allowed us to welcome our new students in person and we are thrilled to have welcomed another group of diverse, bright and motivated students to the SRC.
PhD level
Cancelled field trips, conferences, workshops and courses meant our doctoral students were also forced to adapt their research.
Amid the challenges, when larger physical meetings were allowed again, we organised a special two-day gathering for the students to recharge – both socially and intellectually.
This gave them the chance to reconnect or even meet for the first time, get an overview of each other’s work and share thoughts, ideas and skills.
The event also provided an opportunity to meet with senior researchers and theme leaders to discuss and reflect on how to trust your ideas and put them into practice, among other things.
Frances Westley and Elena Bennett – both members of SRC’s International Science Advisory Council – kindly offered students some reflections and words of advice based on their own PhD journeys.
Amid the many course cancellations, we are pleased to announce that the mandatory PhD course, Quantitative Methods for studying Social-Ecological Systems, continued to run successfully under the leadership of Maja Schlüter and colleagues.
Commissioned education and training
Our annual Executive programme in resilience thinking retreat was held twice during the autumn in 2021. The first meeting took place in September with the 2020 cohort whose training had been postponed due to the pandemic.
This group included CEOs from H&M, Volvo, Investor, SEB, Axel Johnson, Kinnevik, Apoteket, Nobia and Martin & Servera. The second retreat took place in December and included CEOs from Stora Enso, PostNord, Scania, Stena Line Group, AP6, Interflora and Handelsbanken.
The training is intended for anyone who wants to gain strategic insights into the latest research in sustainability science and learn how to identify opportunities for their companies to thrive by contributing to a prosperous planet.
A hugely successful programme, several Swedish companies have since developed their own internal training initiatives and set climate targets.
“We are seeing more and more signs that companies that were previously regarded as the root of the problem are now becoming part of the solution,” says Schultz.
A new book entitled Kursen (The Course) written by the executive programme director Lisen Schultz and climate journalist Erica Treijs provides insights into what some of Sweden’s most influential CEOs and board members learned from the programme.
The programme also received substantial media attention this year, with longer reports and interviews appearing in papers such as the SVT, Dagens industri and SvD.