The University of Liverpool aims to develop environmentally aware graduates with the skills, knowledge, and values required to make a difference in both their personal and professional lives.
With over 30,000 students on campus and almost 3,000 studying our online programmes, we are uniquely placed to influence the future generation when it comes to sustainable thinking and behaviours. These students go on to join our network of 270,000 alumni across 180 countries, taking what they learn from us into their local communities and in turn influencing change across the globe.
In partnership with our Guild of Students, we aim to integrate sustainability into every aspect of student life from their education to extra-curricular activities, and their time living in our student accommodation. Acknowledging the growing awareness and concern amongst students, we will also support them to navigate complex sustainability issues in a way that promotes hope for the future.
Our Commitments
Sustainability will be woven into the curriculum and wider student experience, connecting each discipline to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and enabling every student to gain relevant attributes, skills and knowledge. We will do this by:
Ensuring that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is embedded within all our taught programmes
We want our students to become agile leaders for change, prepared to tackle sustainability issues during and beyond their time at University. Whether it is an under-graduate or post-graduate taught course, an online programme, or a course run through our continuing education provision, all of our teaching will address environmental, economic and social sustainability topics within local and global contexts, aligned to the Liverpool Learning Framework.
Exploring opportunities to develop new programmes dedicated to addressing the green skills gap
With new skills needed in all sectors to enable a transition to environmental and social responsibility, we will identify opportunities to expand our portfolio of sustainability focused taught programmes, complementing our successful IEMA accredited MSc in Environmental Assessment and Management.
Building opportunities to learn about the SDGs into all aspects of student life on campus
Building on the success of our award-winning ‘Sustainability in Action’ module we will promote the SDGs in ways which can be captured formally on student’s achievement records. Students living in university accommodation will also benefit from a programme of sustainability activities and events throughout the year, and all students will learn about green careers as part of our careers and employability offer.
Create a curriculum for all which is sustainable and inclusive in its content and delivery. We will do this by:
Ensuring that our curriculum supports us as a university in delivering our commitments to the SDGs
SDG 10, focused on reducing inequalities, aligns with the University’s commitment to identifying, targeting and challenging inequality at an institutional and local level. By integrating EDI, mental health, and social connection into learning through our commitments to the Race Equality Charter, Access and Participation Plan, and Equality Objectives Action plan, we will ensure that our diverse community of students and staff are supported during their time with us, particularly those who are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change and the ecological crisis and from minoritised and intersectional groups.
Exploring a diverse range of perspectives, knowledge and pedagogies within teaching.
Students will be prepared to address social and environmental issues in both local and global contexts in a way that is equitable for people and planet. This will be done through education and extracurricular activities, whilst our libraries, museums and galleries will highlight the contemporary relevance of the University’s heritage collections to place environmental and societal change within wider historical contexts, as detailed in their strategic plan.
Empower our students to be engaged citizens within Liverpool, in their wider communities and beyond. We will do this by:
Providing more opportunities for our students to volunteer with local organisations, businesses and charities
Hosted by the Liverpool Guild of Students, The Liverpool volunteering platform offers a range of opportunities that provide students with the chance to learn vital sustainability skills and give back to the local community. Further opportunities to gain insights into local organisations are available to students through our careers and employability service which we will continue to engage students through.
Facilitating opportunities for students to engage with potential employers in the field of sustainable development, through careers fairs, living labs and grand challenges
Utilising our local and global partnerships to simulate sustainability challenges, we will showcase the positive efforts of organisations across the city as they champion sustainable business practices and provide opportunities for students to engage with them as potential employers during relevant touch points throughout their academic careers.
Providing students with an understanding of social and environmental contexts in local and global settings so that they have the mechanisms to tackle sustainability issues faced across the world
We will work with our global student community by utilising programmes such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), 2+2 courses with our partner institution XJTLU, and Global Opportunities. We will also use seminar discussions, group work and assessments to give students the opportunity to exchange knowledge and expertise.
Harnessing the work of the Sir Peter Rigby Centre for Enterprise to ensure students can explore enterprise through a sustainability lens
The Sir Peter Rigby Enterprise Centre will transform student employability by supporting students in developing enterprise and entrepreneur skills. Harnessing the work of the Centre, we will apply sustainable business practice and provide the option for students to pursue sustainability as a theme for new enterprises.
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