Administrators, directors, sustainability coordinators and other education professionals from across the Netherlands came together this week to learn from each other. The quest for integral embedding of sustainability in the mbo is a joint quest. It looks at education, operations and connection with the environment. The Koning Willem I College opened its doors to share good examples. Students, administrators and policy staff of the branch groups of the mbo-raad shared their vision. MBO education is the way for students to shape a sustainable labor market and society.
Incentive for sustainability efforts
The SustainaBul MBO is a methodology that uses knowledge meetings and a questionnaire to help schools create and monitor sustainability policies. It is also used nationwide as a benchmark. By now, 36 institutions, which together educate 75% of MBO students, have joined. The SustainaBul MBO is organized by Coöperatie Leren voor Morgen and made possible in part by the Goldschmeding Foundation.
The network provides the opportunity for exchange and learning between institutions, while the competitive element motivates board and management. This year's results consisted of three categories: kickstarters (new participants), accelerators (largest increase in points) and leaders (highest number of points).
Among kickstarters, Summa College finished in first place, followed by RijnIJssel and ROC Midden Nederland's Tech Campus. ROC Rivor managed to accelerate the most compared to last year. Scalda and Albeda also made great strides. Albeda's great strides are also reflected in the leaders category. It leads the top, with Koning Willem I College and Yuverta in its wake.
Not reinventing the wheel
By working together, institutions know how to promote sustainability. CINOP research shows that although there is an increase in sustainability activities at institutions participating in the SustainaBul MBO, sustainable development is not yet fully integrated within MBO institutions. To do so well, leadership is needed from national governments, administrators and managers in MBO.
National and regional governments are recommended to provide active support by providing both financial and strategic support for sustainability initiatives. In addition, they should create policy frameworks that promote sustainable development in the MBO.
For boards and management of MBO institutions, it is crucial to develop a powerful vision of sustainability and to translate it concretely into practice. For example, by appointing a sustainability coordinator, setting up a professorship, making resources available for good ideas and professionalizing staff in the field of sustainability. Participation in initiatives such as the SustainaBul MBO offers valuable insights and can serve as a source for further development in the field of sustainable development.
Shared documents workshops
Several workshops were held throughout the day. Below are some documents that the workshop givers were happy to share.
