NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL

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1 NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL

2 Building Human Capital for an Inclusive Green Transition Anticipating Skills Changes and Identifying Learning Needs NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 2

3 Learning Objectives Outline key challenges the educational sector Identify best practices in South Africa Identify concrete solutions to existing challenges Connect and collaborate A space for institutional dialogue and exchange! 3

4 Overview of the Elective Day I: Anticipating and planning for green skills What are the key challenges? Tools and methodologies for anticipating green skills Identifying and responding to learning needs Day II Enabling change in education Approaches for effective transmission of knowledge Quality assurance and accreditation Formulating action 4

5 NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL

6 Building Human Capital for an Inclusive Green Transition Anticipating Skills Changes and Identifying Learning Needs NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 2

7 What are the Key Challenges in Ensuring Skills for the Green Transition in SA? Prof Eureta Rosenberg, Chair of Environment and Sustainability Education NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 3

8 Content Why focus on skills? Sources of information drawn on Challenges for education providers Challenges for learners Challenges workplace Challenges in the system 4

9 Why Focus on Skills? 5

10 ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL Skills to regulate Skills to innovate Skills to take up jobs

11 Skills to regulate Skills to innovate ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL Skills are central Skills to take up jobs

12 Less attention to skills 8

13 Sources of Information Environmental Policy Initiative (1996) and associated research at Rhodes University Consultation and research for the Environmental Skills Plan HSRC research (2009) and consultation informing the Biodiversity Human Capital Development strategy ( ) Green Skills Programme ( ), Green Economy Learning Assessment with PAGE (2016) 9

14 Green Skills ( ) Project of the National Environmental Skills Planning Forum, working with NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 10

15 Challenges in the Workplace Workplaces need Understanding of environmental risks and opportunities and future needs Technical competencies (with depth & breadth) Relational competencies Transformational leadership Mentoring capacity 11

16 Education Provider Challenges Curriculum Transformation Accreditation and qualifications Delivery Resources Staff Capacity Funding and Metrics 12

17 Challenges Learners need Full access Pathways Career guidance More than knowledge Depth and breadth Funding - #FeesMustFall 13

18 Human Capital Development System Foundation Building - Schooling Greening the Youth Higher Education Innovation Bridging into Work Organisational Strengthening Alignment within and across Supply and Demand 14

19 The System Needs Structures with mandates for green skills Adequate resources Skills intelligence ongoing full and reliable information on what skills we need Planning and research capacity Coordination 15

20 National System Structures with mandates for green skills Adequate resources Skills intelligence ongoing full and reliable information on what skills we need Planning and research capacity Coordination Workplaces Technical competencies (with depth & breadth) Relational competencies Transformational leadership Mentoring capacity Understanding of environmental risks and opportunities and future needs Education Providers Curriculum Transformation Accreditation and qualifications Delivery Resources Staff Capacity Funding and Metric Learners Full access Pathways Career guidance More than knowledge Depth and breadth Funding Summary of Challenges to Resolve 16

21 NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL

22 Tools and methodologies for anticipating and diagnosing green skills needs PRESHA RAMSARUP NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 2

23 What are the associated skill needs to unlock these latent jobs? Is the education and training system ready? Do employers know where these jobs are and how to unlock them? Do employers know what is a green job? 3

24 Building a response that supports better Green Economy Learning A more nuanced typology and framework to understand Green Work Sector / Case studies that investigate the greening of work at micro levels Improved and more consistent information on green occupations & skills needs from employer / sector perspective Tools to support better skills planning for green work 4

25 TOOLS TO SUPPORT SKILLS PLANNING Strategic Greening Work Tools Firm /Employer Sector Workplace SKills Planning Technical and HR SETA; Professional Association ; 5

26 Greening Work overview of studies Sector Small scale Sub-sector Indepth study Packaging Automotive Agriculture Mining coal Chemicals surface coatings Green Procurement Petroleum 6

27 NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 7

28 EXPANDED VALUE CHAIN 8

29 WHERE ARE THE HOT SPOTS? WHO WORKS IN THOSE AREAS? KEY JOBS WHO DO THEY WORK WITH? 9

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31 11

32 NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL

33 Building Human Capital for an Inclusive Green Transition Anticipating Skills Changes and Identifying Learning Needs NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 2

34 Case Study: Green Economy Learning Assessment, South Africa NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 3

35 Content Assessment focus Conceptual framework Methodology followed Findings about learning needs Findings about learning opportunities 4

36 Assessment Focus: Competencies Needed by Green Economy Champions 5

37 Assessment Focus and Rationale Policy level action Action to drive the green economy in South Africa What learning is needed? What institutional capacity is there to support this learning? 6

38 Based on the Green Economy Learning Assessment for South Africa Contract research conducted as part of the Green Skills National System Building Programme (funded by the DEA Green Fund through DBSA) Contracted by PAGE (Partnership for Action on the Green Economy) with partners UNITAR, ILO, Departments of Environment Affairs, Science and Technology, Higher Education and Training (funded by UNITAR) 7

39 Conceptual Framework Technical Competencies Wiek, Withycombe & Redman Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic development. Sustainability Sciences. Relational Competencies Transformational Competence Scharmer, O. 2007, Fieldbased leadership development. 8

40 The concept of competence Knowledge e.g. of Climate change impacts on environment, society Skill e.g. Modeling climate change scenarios Disposition / attitude e.g. Open to learning beyond current expertise, across disciplines, seek connections Ethic e.g. Wanting to work for the common good 9

41 The Methodology 10

42 Assessment Phases 1. To determine the focus and scope of the assessment 3. Desktop and interview based: REIPPPP, Working for Water EPWP, Sustainable Transport in City of Jo burg, City of Cape Town 5. Desk top audit focused on courses that respond to identified needs; 174 database entries Policy Review, First Survey & Task Team Consultation Second Survey. Case Studies Interviews Provider Audit 2. Online questionnaire to 96, on learning needs and providers interviews with Champions and Education Providers 11

43 Policy Review Helped with deciding the focus and scope of the assessment Where should the survey focus? Which sectors should be included in the survey? Showed that There is a plethora of green economy or sustainability policies across sectors Even within one sector (e.g. Agriculture) there is more than one green economy or sustainability related policy Policies are comprehensive but not very specific There is a lack of alignment between policies 12

44 First Survey Online questionnaire to 69; 20% return rate. Example of findings rankings given weighted importance Helped to identify where green economy action happens and who should be included in the case studies and 2 nd survey 13

45 Most Important Sectors for a Green Economy: Focus Area/Sector Survey 1 Responses (20 in total) Energy % (20) Transport 70.00% (14) Waste 60.00% (12) Water 55.00% (11) Agriculture 55.00% (11) Built Environment 55.00% (11) Industry 50.00% (10) Finance 35.00% (7) Mining 20.00% (4) Tourism 20.00% (4) Fisheries 5.00% (1) Forestry 5.00% (1) Other (please specify) 15.00% (3) Public domain e.g. municipalities; Smart Cities 14

46 Case Studies Document analysis Interviews (face to face and telephonic) 15

47 Findings: Competency Clusters Identified 1. Making the case for a green economy initiative or intervention 2. Integrated sustainable development (social, economic, ecological) planning, policy development and governance 3. Strategic adaptive management including review and evaluation 4. Coalition building and working effectively across different units within an organisation and across types of organisations and sectors 5. Expansive social learning and action across many different knowledge fields 16

48 Competency Set 1. Making the case for a green economy initiative or intervention Sustainability - understanding and valuing social, economic and ecological outcomes; knowing how to determine this value including its financial value and social benefit Visioning - Anticipatory and technical competence Context responsiveness strategic competence Working with policy technical, relational and transformative competence Systems thinking and working with(in) complexity - technical and normative competence Modeling produce and use models - technical and anticipatory competence Evaluation determine and show ecological and in particular social and financial impact and potential impact - technical and normative Resource economics, business case development determining financial value of natural resources and their protection - technical Working with qualitative and quantitative data technical competence Setting up intelligent data gathering and data management systems to be able to show impact over time - technical competence Communicate value to diverse stakeholders - relational competence Stakeholder engagement to build partnerships, coalitions, shared values and ownership in the face of diverse values and mandates - relational competence 17

49 Competency Set 2. Integrated sustainable development (social, economic, ecological) planning, policy development and governance Sustainability - understanding and valuing social, economic and ecological outcomes; integrate across these domains - Normative and technical competence Visioning -- Anticipatory and technical competence Context analysis and planning to match the context strategic competence Systems thinking and working with(in) complexity - technical and normative Developing and integrating with policy - Knowledge of and ability to interpret and apply policies and regulatory frameworks; integrating green economy and natural resources in organisational mandates; policy innovation; policy integration; mainstreaming natural resource management to inform planning, decision making - Strategic and technical competence Understanding and applying new economic thinking e.g. circular economies and just transition frameworks Modeling, forecasting and future scenario-ing produce and use models including climate impact analysis - technical and anticipatory Resource economics technical competence Evaluation that reflects social, economic and ecological value technical and normative competence Stakeholder engagement to build partnerships, shared values and ownership - relational competence Supporting change in agencies and actors, supporting communities in the implementation of policy Project / programme management and leadership. 18

50 Competency Set 3. Strategic adaptive management including review and evaluation Reflexivity i.e. ability to recognise and reflect on outcomes of actions taken and adjust course and/or adjust initial starting assumptions Strategic competence, involving visioning, thinking laterally, seeing new connections and opportunities Systems thinking and working with(in) complexity Decision making and willingness to take risks in the face of uncertainty General research and analysis capacity Ability to design and implement complexity sensitive monitoring and evaluation - technical and relational competence Working with data - qualitative and quantitative data technical competence Setting up intelligent data gathering and data management systems technical competence Project / programme management and leadership competence Stakeholder engagement and communication skills 19

51 Competency Set 4. Coalition building and working effectively across different units within an organisation and across types of organisations and sectors Strategic competence, involving visioning, thinking laterally, seeing new connections and opportunities Systems thinking and working with(in) complexity Integrative thinking transformative competence Communicative relational competence Stakeholder engagement relational competence Understanding and applying relevant policy frameworks in an integrated or aligned manner Social learning Ability to advance collaborative practices, facilitate solution finding despite conflicting values Project / programme management and leadership competence. 20

52 Competency Set 5. Expansive social learning and action across many different knowledge fields Systems thinking and working with(in) complexity Valuing the contribution of diverse disciplines to solve sustainability issues and drive the green economy Able to assemble and manage teams with diverse disciplinary skills to solve sustainability issues and drive the green economy, practically, politically and conceptually Within individuals, understanding, perspective and skills across disciplines. Being comfortable with (using) qualitative and quantitative data Understanding and valuing social learning Advance collaborative practices, facilitate solution finding despite conflicting values Designing expansive / transformative and social learning programmes and facilitating social learning processes Designing learning opportunities that are appropriate for particular contexts 21

53 Champions competencies exist in relation to co-workers, in relation to the GE focus and in an enabling context 22

54 Findings: Learning Providers All SA universities and a small number of other providers address green economy related learning needs - a database of 104 entries including 30 online courses Sustainability champions are self directed in their learning They value a spectrum of learning opportunities They seem to learn all the time: in long and short courses, individually and in groups, and on the job, From professional development to self directed learning From courses to (linked) Informal learning opportunities 23

55 Tool for determining team s learning needs: What are... The technical tasks? The people related tasks? The transformational task(s)? (What change do we want and why?) Hint: Use the tasks and competencies outlined in this assessment to guide you in completing these columns In relation to the tasks in the first column, and our competencies... What are the strengths in our team? What are our competency gaps? How can we improve our competency mix and levels? Hint: Use information in this assessment to guide you in completing this column 24

56 Acknowledgements ILO and UNITAR DEA, DST, dti, DHET and all other PAGE Partners PAGE Task Team All Interviewees and Survey Respondents Research Team: Rosenberg, E., Rosenberg, G., Rivers, N., Ramsarup, P., Lotz-Sisitka, H. DBSA, DEA Green Fund and Rhodes University 25

57 NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL

58 A CASE STUDY of an E-LEARNING COURSE Introduction to a green economy for South Africa Elmi Bester Theunis Meyer - Centre for Environmental Management, North-West University NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA 2

59 Content The project The product The process & roles Key considerations/ learnings 3

60 The project: Background PAGE in collaboration with the South African Government, commissioned a Green Economy Learning Assessment (GELA) in Identified learning priorities for advancing a green economy in South Africa; Reviewed existing institutional capacities, identified gaps and proposed potential measures to strengthen related education and training activities Recommended the up-scaling of basic learning on core green economy issues across sectors. Identified e-learning as an effective means of expanding on existing learning platforms, and enhance the capacities of a variety of national stakeholders. 4

61 The project: Assignment The SA Government & PAGE invited proposals for the development and delivery of an introductory online course based on the existing global PAGE course but customised with content & approach to the SA context NWU-CEM was appointed to develop & deliver an introductory green economy online course Under the auspices of and with the support of PAGE, UNITAR & DEA 5

62 The project: Objectives Overall goal to build the knowledge & skills of stakeholders across sectors, to advance action for greening the South African economy. Specific objectives To develop a high-quality and recognized e-course tailor-made to the SA context, that can be offered regularly; To build the capacity of a national partner institution in delivering effective distance-learning for adults on topics related to green economy. 6

63 Course Learning Outcomes Participants completing the course will be able to: Define the concept of a green economy and explain its value; Identify enabling conditions for greening the national economy; Recognize the range of national and international green initiatives and support services to foster green development; Distinguish relevant planning processes in support of a green transformation; Discuss principal challenges and opportunities to advance a green economy; Apply the green economy concept to a real world economic, policy and/or personal context 7

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65 Course Learning Plan Week 0: Participant familiarisation with virtual learning environment Weeks 1-3: Modules 1-3, with learning activities e.g. discussion forums, interactive exercises, informal & formal assessments Week 4: Catch-up week Week 5: Modules 4 Week 6: Module 5 Week 7: Finalise & submit applied case studies Week 8: Peer review of case studies Week 9: Revision of case studies in view of peer review feedback Week 10 Wrap-up, evaluation and conclusion Final submission & completion of course evaluation. 9

66 Different dimensions of capability & capacity Systemic capability Accreditation & recognition of learning for short learning programmes/non-formal learning Network capability Funding & governance Enable participants to attend & apply Institutional capability to build & deliver Sustainability & scalability Enable teams 10

67 The approach NWU- CEM How do we do this? We want to build capacity for the future. NWU- UCE We need to build institutional capacity for e-learning for short learning programmes. How do we support the staff? Gaps in skills & experience? Scalability? Good practices? NWU- CLT How do we utilise the existing LMS and infrastructure? Adjustments required? Agreements? Sustainable and scalable institutional & team capability & capacity for e-delivery of short learning programmes. CEM: Centre for Environmental Management UCE: Unit for Continuing Education CLT: Computer-assisted Teaching & Learning 11

68 Process & roles (1) Collect content research expertise experience Write lessons: content & activities Editing for learning, for digital flow, grammar & spelling Subject matter expert Editor with e-learning specialisation Coach 12

69 Process & roles (2) Design template - Style sheet (font, colours) - Elements (Suggested Reading, Activities, reflective pauses etc) - Navigation Convert diagrams to a uniform style Convert lessons to digital, interactive & visual content Create rich media elements Graphic designer Instructional designer Setup the course site in the LMS Create support material/guides Course administrator LMS support staff 13

70 Process & roles (3) Facilitator Host & guide & moderator & monitor progress First level support Course administrator Registrations & general administrative support 14

71 Key considerations & lessons Pre-packaging of the learning experience Different structure, even the assessment Different flow Different preparation Different delivery involvement (e.g. 1-3 hours over 7 weeks; then final assessment) elearning first timers Attend an e-learning course Attend a course on e-learning Provide more upfront input and structure (cooks then chefs) Dedicated time required & work practices/tools to allow for a distributed team to collaborate 15

72 Thank you. 16