Sustainability is high on the agenda in our education system. What role does sustainability play in our programmes? And what do we teach our future professionals about it?
As a university of applied sciences, Saxion is responsible for educating new generations of professionals for society. A society in which climate change and the welfare of people and animals are high on the agenda, both internationally and nationally, as well as in companies and people's homes. More and more people are seeing and experiencing the consequences of climate change and the pressure on welfare. When we talk about sustainability, we are talking about issues such as poverty, inequality, good health and well-being, inclusion, value creation, chain responsibility, quality of education, strong governance, energy transition, circularity, and biodiversity.
Sustainability at Saxion focuses on the ecological, social, and economic aspects of a future-proof society. A society in which no one is left behind.
Saxion's ambition is for all study programmes to embed sustainability in their teaching and to collaborate with the professional field to achieve this. The important thing here is not that the term sustainability is loaded with meaning, but that students have the skills and knowledge to contribute to a future-proof society in which no one is left behind. For this reason, we use terms in every programme that are relevant to the professional field. In social programmes, these terms include good health, well-being, equal opportunities, etc. In economic programmes, terms such as circularity, strong governance, and corporate social responsibility are more common. Finally, in technical programmes, the term sustainability is often used, but also terms such as energy transition, climate adaptation, and circularity.
To embed sustainability in education, Saxion has a sustainability agenda for education. This serves as inspiration for the programmes.
Special quality mark Sustainable Higher Education
Degree programmes in higher education can promote themselves as being sustainable by applying for the special Sustainable Higher Education quality mark. By having at least three stars you are eligible for a special quality mark for sustainable development from the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). The following programmes have already obtained the quality mark.
- Fashion & Textile Technology (School of Creative Technology)
- Master Innovative Textile Development (ITD)
Several programmes are exploring certification.
Minors
Want to incorporate sustainability in a minor? Then you can! See our minors at saxion.nl/minoren.