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Veolia ANZ and The Open University launch transformational climate change and sustainability course

Veolia ANZ and Open University UK launch a 100-hour sustainability course, designed for the careers of the future.

Veolia ANZ and Open University UK launch a 100-hour sustainability course. The Ecological Transformation university-accredited course, Climate change: Transforming your organisation for sustainability, is open to the public and gives participants the practical skills and strategies to become sustainability leaders.

Designed for the careers of the future. Sustainability experts have created a course with a global focus and to provide a skill set applicable across a range of sectors.

In a notable move to support environmental leadership, Veolia ANZ has partnered with The Open University UK to offer a sustainability course, Climate Change: Transforming your organisation for sustainability, as part of its global School of Ecological Transformation. It is the latest step in the future as part of Veolia’s stated ambition to put in place the foundations of a sustainable and prosperous global economy.

This 100-hour microcredential course provides participants with the practical knowledge and skills needed to support sustainability within their organisations.

The course, accredited by The Open University UK, delves into critical topics such as the climate crisis, long-term strategic sustainability approaches, carbon footprinting exposure, real world implementation tools, stakeholder collaboration, and environmental leadership skills.

Its comprehensive curriculum includes practical applications and real-world case studies from Veolia ― a company that actively integrates sustainability into its operations ― that will enable participants to create tailored action plans for their organisations. Importantly, for busy people, the course is available online, allowing for flexible, self-paced learning.

"We believe that education plays a key role in building a sustainable future. This partnership with The Open University UK demonstrates our commitment to ecological transformation and sustainability, through helping develop the next generation of environmental leaders," explained Veolia ANZ CEO and MD Richard Kirkman.

The publicly available course offers an opportunity for professional development and opens the doors to a strategic initiative to integrate sustainability into businesspractices across various sectors. Over 30 Veolia ANZ staff took part in the pilot and co-creation of the course, including Resource Recovery Specialist Auryn Tupuhi who said the course structure allowed her to balance work, home life, and learning.

“What worked well for me was the supportive learning environment. Being able to interact with my peers in the discussion forum really encouraged me to ask more questions and keep an open mind when exploring new ideas,” said Tupuhi.

Reflecting its commitment to education around ecological transformation solutions, Veolia ANZ will provide a limited number of fully funded placements for suppliers, contractors, strategic partners, clients and its own people in an effort to develop talent and encourage a culture of sustainability in every part of its business and supply chain. The course is now open to the general public at a cost of $1250 per learner.

“This collaboration with Veolia represents a valuable step forward in practical sustainability education. By combining academic excellence with practitioner experience, we're creating opportunities to shape the future of environmental management in Australia and beyond," stated Professor Mark Durkin, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at The Open University.

The course content was developed with input from Veolia's real-life case studies and aims to equip participants to become catalysts for practical change within their own organisations. Learners will gain a university accreditation, enhancing their credentials and preparing them to lead sustainability initiatives within their organisations. The program also emphasises the development of leadership skills and the ability to influence and engage stakeholders effectively.

“This course is a testament to Veolia's vision of integrating sustainability into every aspect of business and community life, supporting the transition to a more sustainable future,” mentioned Kirkman.
“Every learner will graduate with leadership skills that will help them directly address the sustainability challenges where they work and contribute to making a positive difference in the global battle against climate change.”

The course builds on Veolia’s broader global investment in sustainability education, which today includes the online School of Ecological Transformation and three physical campuses of Terra Academia in Arras, Deauville, and Paris Montmartre. This is just one facet of Veolia’s ongoing GreenUp global investment that aims to decarbonise, depollute and regenerate the world.

To find out more about the course or to enrol, follow this link.

Source: Veolia ANZ