The Aalto Co-Educators
All Aalto graduates should have the capability to analyse and tackle complex sustainability challenges especially related to their own field, and to grasp opportunities for making a change.
Key Skills for Sustainability Experts: Collaboration and Communication
As industries increasingly focus on sustainability, the demand for sustainability expertise is growing. But what specific skills do employers seek in sustainability experts?
At two events organized by the Aalto Co-Educator team this spring, industry representatives emphasized two key skills: collaboration and communication.
鈥淵ou need to get people along on the journey to make change,鈥 said Heidi Peltonen, Vice President of Sustainability at Outokumpu, during a panel discussion for teachers at Aalto. She emphasised that while substance competency in sustainability themes is important, it is not the only factor that matters. You can watch the discussion .
Taru Halla, Managing Director at Ecobio, with over 20 years of experience in corporate sustainability consulting, shared similar views at the round table entitled "Sustainability Competencies for the Future: University Education, Work, and Beyond". She highlighted the necessity of collaboration between experts from various disciplines such as chemistry, mathematics, biology and engineering to find the best solutions in the complex field of sustainability. Halla also underscored the importance of asking questions.
Graduates need tools to make ethical decisions
Petri Suomala, Vice President of Education at Aalto, provided the keynote at the round table session. Suomala emphasized the importance of multidisciplinarity.
Furthermore, Suomala highlighted that we need to discuss how to incorporate values into our education 鈥 at least to acknowledge their existence.
Both events highlighted similar opinions from industry professionals and academics. It was emphasized that effective sustainability teaching requires collaboration among educators from different disciplines and advanced pedagogical methods. Furthermore, graduates need tools to make informed, ethical decisions in addition to tools to tackle complex challenges in the workforce.
Industry leaders and academics alike highlight that while technical knowledge in sustainability is crucial, the ability to work effectively across disciplines and communicate with diverse stakeholders is paramount.
The Aalto Co-Educator team is passionate about supporting teachers and programme directors to meaningfully integrate solutions for sustainability into courses and programmes. Learn more about our services here or contact elina.kahkonen@aalto.fi to enquire.
More sustainability in education-related content
Graduate Sustainability Competencies and Influence in the Workplace 鈥 Aalto University's Latest Research
Aalto University's Meeri Karvinen successfully defends her doctoral dissertation, February 2024.
Solutions for Sustainability: What Does it Mean in Teaching?
Learn more about solutions for sustainability and teamwork competencies and their integration into courses and curricula.聽
Read more news
New Academy Research Fellows and Academy Projects
A total of 44 Aalto researchers received Academy Research Fellowship and Academy Project funding from the Research Council of Finland 鈥 congratulations to all!
FITech Network University's new project increases the network鈥檚 capabilities in continuous learning
FITech's new FITech FORWARD project aims to develop the member universities鈥 ability to create offerings of continuous learning and micro-credentials to meet the current skill needs in the field of technology. Besides Aalto University, also Tampere University, University of Oulu, and University of Vaasa are involved in the project.
Pollinators 鈥 tiny helpers in the work for biodiversity
Bee-assisted biomonitoring has started on the Otaniemi campus.