by Kayla Colyard
The SDG Academy has long been invested in online education as a means to provide large-scale access to quality learning opportunities. Yet, in the current climate, it has also become a means of resilience, ensuring education can continue despite the obstacles we face. Digital innovation is a key effort to evolving our education systems so that they are resilient, inclusive, and capable of meeting the challenges faced by people and the planet.
With the major shift to online and hybrid learning, the opportunity to provide upskilling and reskilling to students and professionals alike is vast. The increasing emphasis on upskilling and professional development has pushed business leaders to realize that the skills their organizations and employees will need in the future are not the same ones they’ve required in the past. In fact, according to LinkedIn’s 2022 Workplace Learning Report, 46% of professionals say that upskilling and reskilling is a top focus area.
That is why the SDG Academy is excited to partner with LinkedIn Learning to provide short courses on their platform to support their work putting people and skills at the center of organizational success. Upskilling and training programs can be transformative, and the correct information and education can change people’s values and behaviors, encouraging them to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.
“The challenges of global disruption, skills shortages, and economic uncertainty persist. But L&D has never been in a better place to help. Tackling tough problems requires new and better skills, and learning is the way through.”
– 2023 Workplace Learning Report, LinkedIn™Learning
LinkedIn Learning is subscription-based platform, providing subscribers unlimited access to their library of 18,000+ courses and to a supportive and interactive community which connects learners with peers and experts. With LinkedIn Learning, learners can pursue professional development in a myriad of ways and apply topics of sustainable development to their specific roles, learning activity, skills, and interests. Within the platform, learners can join learning groups, share and recommend courses, watch courses together, and—depending on the course—participate in interactive Q&As on course pages.
The platform also offers programs geared toward employers, libraries, government agencies, and colleges and universities. These programs are data-driven and designed to provide learners with the skills they need to succeed. According to LinkedIn Learning, the platform can also improve government and business employee engagement. For students, LinkedIn Learning can furnish supplemental education and help job-seekers find employment after graduation.
Hosting our content on LinkedIn Learning will help the SDG Academy to identify the skills learners are building and the materials we need to continue to curate in order to best provide the current and next generation with educational sustainability resources. SDG 4 aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” (United Nations, 2015). More specifically, SDG Target 4.4 emphasizes the value of adults who have relevant skills for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. The message is clear, learning must extend beyond the bounds of the classroom to support the upskilling of a new generation of sustainable development practitioners.
Explore these SDG Academy courses—available now. Enroll here!
- Principles of Sustainable Development
- Sustainable Development and Well-being
- The Business Sector and the Sustainable Development Goals
- Introduction to Natural Resources
- Natural Resources: Policies and Revenues
Deliberately designed for professionals from various fields, these courses offer practical knowledge and real-life illustrations on how to incorporate sustainability in organizations and communities. The partnership between the SDG Academy and LinkedIn learning emphasizes the role of the business sector in sustainable development, aiming to nurture socially responsible leaders who will drive transformative change worldwide.
At the core of these courses is SDG 4, promoting inclusive and equitable quality education for all. The SDG Academy and LinkedIn Learning acknowledge education’s power in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, pledging to offer accessible lifelong learning solutions to professionals worldwide.
Learn more about SDG Academy x LinkedIn Learning here!
Kayla Colyard is an Education Manager with the SDG Academy.
