In the ongoing process of Lifelong Learning, secondary schools play a vital role alongside Careers Scotland in promoting careers advice and guidance to pupils (including advice on further and higher education courses).
Pupils are generally unaware of the wide range of careers available in the environmental protection, eco tourism, waste management, alternative energy, and sustainable enterprise sectors. A good deal of information is now available on the Careers Scotland website “The Path is Green” with case studies, career advice, videos and games.
Careers range from highly skilled posts requiring degree level qualifications such as environmental engineering, through entry level work in waste sorting and disposal, on to enterprise opportunities in recycling, refurbishment and resale; very often ‘social enterprises’ are based on sustainable programmes such as recycling and refurbishment.
The Implementation Plan (2007) for Scotland’s ‘Green Jobs Strategy’ (Going for green growth: a green jobs strategy for Scotland. Scottish Government 2005) offers some details of some activities undertaken by Careers Scotland.
Schools which provide pupils with the information needed to become more aware of the work-based opportunities in the ‘green’ sector as part of their Careers Advice programme can use this as further evidence towards Green Flag Award status.
A whole-school (or as near as possible) curricular audit will be required evidence from a secondary school applying for a Green Flag Award.
S1-S6 Curriculum - SQA and Curriculum for Excellence
Curriculum for Excellence aspires to enabling all young people to be successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. There are currently many opportunities to introduce the cross- curricular theme of SDE in the S1-S6 curriculum. The changes arising from ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ will enhance these opportunities and indeed should make the introduction of SDE topics much easier. An example of this is the draft learning experiences and outcomes of Science in the Curriculum (LTS, 2007) which highlights ‘sustainability’, ‘biodiversity’ and ‘climate change’ as core themes of science education; and within Social Studies the theme ‘People, place and environment’ has many references to environmental issues.
For upper secondary classes, the table in Secondary Appendix 1 highlights SDE opportunities which already exist within courses detailed in SQA Arrangements Documents (2007-8). While not exhaustive, the table does indicate a substantial commitment to SDE already current within S Grade and NQ courses.
Secondary schools applying for Green Flag Award status should undertake a whole school audit asking departments to identify appropriate teaching units already being delivered from S1 to S6. Extracts from Secondary Appendix 1 could be used as an ‘aide-memoire’ for departments involved for the first time.
An insight into the increasing importance of SDE on the curriculum comes from SQA Guidelines (May 2007) issued to Unit Writing Teams on ‘Introducing Sustainable Development’ into all courses. These emphasise the importance of the topic at all levels and for all learners. The guidance mentions three key strands:
Social:
Economic:
Ecological:
The guidance emphasises the inherent interaction of the strands. Critically – “all aspects of our lives depend on everything else that exists on the Earth.”
Introducing sustainable development themes is important “...because it creates informed people...” who will be reading and working through the units.
Social themes are also considered very relevant – “...the impact of regimes on social unrest; or looking at the impact of social change...”; “...the role of international developments on sex education, HIV/Aids reduction and Healthy living agendas.”
In terms of Core Skills “Problem solving and working with others are key to building skills for sustainable development.”
Clearly, teachers are likely to see even more references to sustainable living written into future SQA courses and revisions.
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