The Competences4ESD project is focused on enhancing education for sustainable development (ESD) by equipping teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge. The project recognizes the importance of achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Education 2030 program of the OECD. While various initiatives have been implemented at different levels to support ESD in education, there is concern about the effectiveness of ESD in educating students to become agents of change and stakeholders for the future.
Academic literature and national documents have highlighted the need for teachers to possess key competences in order to facilitate critical ESD. Although there is a wide range of content, curricula, and pedagogies available for ESD, educators often lack the necessary skills on how to teach these concepts effectively. Teachers play a crucial role in integrating sustainability principles and inspiring students to understand and address environmental, economic, and socio-cultural challenges. However, without the development of key competences, achieving sustainability becomes nearly impossible.
The project aims to address these challenges by developing a comprehensive training model for teachers. The model will focus on key competences required for ESD and provide innovative tools and resources for both pre-service and in-service teachers. The project’s objectives include conducting a needs assessment, developing and validating the training model, and supporting digitalized and creative training approaches for teachers.
The activities of the project involve creating a framework for ESD key competences, designing a training course and pilot programs, developing an educational role-play board game, and establishing an e-learning platform for blended learning. Trainers will be trained on the ESD key competences program, and both pre-service and in-service teachers will participate in pilot training programs. The project also includes six multiplier events to promote the project’s outcomes among various stakeholders.
Furthermore, the project emphasizes project management, evaluation, quality assurance, dissemination, sustainability, and exploitation activities. These activities ensure effective coordination, quality control, and the long-term impact of the project. The ultimate goal is to empower teachers with the necessary competences to teach sustainability effectively and contribute to shaping a sustainable future through transformative learning.
The main outcome of the project will be the development of an innovative ESD Key Competences Training Model for teachers, aligned with the goal of quality education for all. The model will enable teachers to effectively teach sustainability and integrate good practices into their daily activities. The project also aims to enhance teachers’ digital competences and empower them to become change agents within their schools and communities. Through the project’s completion, a network of specialized trainers in ESD Key Competence Development will be established, fostering ongoing collaboration and sharing of effective practices. Additionally, policy recommendations will be provided to policymakers regarding key competence development for teachers in the context of ESD.
