DCG puts sustainability at the heart of teaching through innovative, industry-focused approach

Students working with Think Ocean (Credit: DCG)

Derby College Group (DCG) is leading the way in embedding sustainability meaningfully across Further Education, empowering educators and students with the confidence, skills and understanding needed to thrive in a rapidly changing green economy.

Through an innovative Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Fellowship, DCG has successfully supported a cultural shift, moving sustainability away from being a ‘bolt-on’ topic and instead integrating it naturally within vocational and technical education, where it has the greatest impact.

Led by Sophie Harris, Advanced Teacher Practitioner, the Fellowship focused on contextualisation, aligning sustainability learning with subjects educators already specialise in, and careers students aspire to. This approach has helped remove barriers, dispel misconceptions, and ensure sustainability is relevant, practical and engaging rather than abstract or overwhelming.

Over the course of the programme:

• 88 educators took part in tailored professional development sessions
• 87 students and 58 educators contributed to student and educator voice research
• Sustainability confidence among educators rose significantly, with 93% agreeing it now feels relevant to their subject
• Student recognition of sustainability in creative media increased from 18.2% to100% in just eight weeks

The Fellowship has supported a wide range of curriculum areas, including Engineering, Fashion Business & Retail, T-Level Science, Creative Media, Business and Inclusion Pathways, ensuring sustainability learning reflects real-world industry contexts and employment needs.

Employer-led projects played a key role, with students working on live briefs, pitching sustainable product ideas, attending London Fashion Week, producing podcasts and exhibitions, and presenting to employer panels. These experiences strengthened green skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving and innovation, skills essential for future employment.

Sophie Harris, who leads the Fellowship at Derby College Group, said: “We know that sustainability can feel daunting when it’s treated as a standalone concept or reduced to a tick-box exercise. What this work has shown is that when sustainability is framed through the lens of subjects educators already master, and careers learners have chosen, it becomes accessible, meaningful and powerful.

“Contextualisation demystifies sustainability. It allows educators to teach it with confidence and helps students see how they can actively contribute to a more resilient, fair and sustainable future through their chosen profession.”

The Fellowship has also had a wider sector impact, with findings shared through national webinars, external showcases, employer engagement, and forthcoming sector publications, helping to influence how sustainability is approached across Further Education nationally.

For Derby College Group, the programme supports strategic priorities around green careers, workforce readiness and industry-aligned education, while contributing directly to Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) goals.

DCG plans to continue building on this success through ongoing professional development, curriculum innovation and employer collaboration, ensuring sustainability is not an add-on, but a core part of how future talent is developed.