CIC Climate Action Plan Toolkit: Education and Qualification

The UK is legally required to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Emissions from the UK construction sector amount for as much as 40% of the total national emissions, almost half of which will need to be eliminated over the next thirty years. Achieving net zero will require an industry wide investment in education, skills and training that must be early, planned and based on demand.

Embedding Sustainability and Climate Literacy

The CIC’s climate action plan of June 2021 recognises this need, and through Workstream One: Education and Qualification and the actions therein, those professional institutions with registers that qualify and ensure the ongoing competence of individuals, and/or recognise the education and training of those entering and continuing, in these professions are uniquely placed to play their role when it comes to tackling the climate emergency.

The CIC Climate Action Plan Education and Qualification Toolkit

This toolkit was developed in collaboration with professional institutions, with a focus on sustainability and climate literacy, and who operate professional registers, and/or recognise education and training pathways to those registers, with consideration of the ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) of registered professionals.

The toolkit is divided into a number of sections: it aims to support and enable professional institutions to select areas where they are considering engaging, communicating, and making changes to their professional qualification and/or Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements, and/or the recognition of education and training to professional registration, in relation to sustainability and climate literacy.

Each section stands alone and can be referred to individually, with these being summarised as:

• The Case for Sustainability and Climate Literacy: Implementing sustainability and climate literacy as standard for all built environment professionals
• Education and Training: Recognising and embedding sustainable practice and climate literacy within education and training programmes
• Professional Qualification: Ensuring professional qualification and review embeds sustainable practice and climate literacy

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD): Placing sustainable practice and climate literacy at the forefront

Within each section, professional institutions are able to find information, are offered good practice case studies, and are presented with activities which are designed to help professional institutions to navigate change.

The aim of the toolkit is also to share lessons learned, and to ensure the built environment profession can put together their own action plans to push forward with the climate emergency discussion and consider the impact and implications this might have on their organisation and their professionals.

Equally, the activities provide ideal stimulus material to consider broader engagement, be that internally within the profession and beyond, to members of institutions, and to other stakeholders including education and training providers, employers, and even other professional bodies.

A downloadable version of the Toolkit, please click here.