Dates: Multiple Dates
Duration: Two Day Workshop
Delivery mode: Face-to-face & Online
Certificate of Completion From Queen Mary University of London
New Perspective to Accelerate Universities Role for the Implementation of the UN SDGs 2030
The workshop has been designed to introduce a variety of new perspectives for Higher Education (HE) institutions (universities, colleges and research institutes) to accelerate their role in helping countries achieve the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Universities are considered by many scholars are very important for the achievement of the UN SDGs and therefore the workshop will critically address the question of how universities can achieve the 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda and embed the 17 SDGs on developing new methods and approaches to suit the challenges and opportunities of this new era of digital revolution particularly post Covid-19 global pandemic. These new approaches call for actions to create different appropriate ways of doing things and of doing new things that will be essential to solve our future problems and help in the implementation of the 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda. Systematic search for opportunities is important for helping to ameliorate the many problems facing universities.
The workshop aims to enable universities’ leaders and decision makers to introduce fit-for-purpose leadership styles and approaches to their institutions and transform their teaching and research towards achieving the UN Agenda 2030 for SD and its 17 SDGs. To accelerate their role in achieving the UN SDGs, participants will learn how to ensure all academic programmes are embedded and aligned (designed/revalidated) with the 17 SDGs. The aim is to ensure future graduates are fully aware of the subject of sustainability and accordingly, able to engage on a global scale to address the world future global challenges and find ways for sustainable solutions.
Learning Outcomes:
Today, more than ever before in human history, the wealth or poverty of nations depends on the quality of HE. Revolutionary breakthroughs in the knowledge economy are leading to remarkable changes in the way forward-looking nations capacitate their graduates. In this era of global skills and knowledge race, all universities cannot fail to realise, accept and accomplish its natural and ascribed roles as a strategic agent for national development. Universities are also at the heart of the 17 SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda particularly at this new era of digital revolution particularly post Covid-19 global pandemic.
According to the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) 2019 report titled “Strengthening the policy research uptake in service of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development”, achieving the 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda requires evidence-based policies and planning at every level; therefore, the workshop will also include substantial components on evidence-based research and policy planning. Moreover, the JIU 2016 report “Knowledge Management in the United nations Sytem“, identified the important contribution of Knowledge Management (KM) to the implementation of the new holistic and collaborative approach on which the 2030 Agenda is based. JIU argued that knowledge can be the most natural integrative factor system-wide and for all the stakeholders in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Whilst there has been a tremendous growth in size, the expansion of HE in almost all parts of the world, this expansion has caused average quality of education in many countries to decline as resources are stretched increasingly thin. Essentially, the expansion has been less differentiated and, therefore, ill-planned to confront emergent development needs. Rather, what is evident is a stupendous replication of traditional disciplinary-based techniques of knowledge production. These have, nevertheless, increased the richness of knowledge about the universe we live in but without apparently translating or transforming the catchment societal environments in terms of measurable productive capacities. Many scholars and policy makers have called for a transformative innovation agenda which embraces radical change for new synthesis and approaches for transforming HE in many countries.
The workshop will also examine the role of the private sector together with the public sector (please refer to the JIU 2018 report on the Role of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the Implementation of Agenda 2030 for more details and recommendations). Both the public and private sector organisations are confronted by environmental factors such as economic, political, sociological, technological, and legal challenges. The need for leaders at all levels to successfully meet these challenges requires a comprehensive appreciation and understanding of their roles, goals and the expected competencies.
The key objectives of the workshop are:
How universities can reposition and rebrand themselves as an excellent provider of transformative education, achieve the UN SDGs 2030.
How universities can handle effectively the changing expectations of governments and the society to help the national and international efforts for growth and development particularly in the post covid-19 era.
How to ensure universities are confident about their future.
Understanding the 17 SDGs, targets and indicators.
Discuss the challenges universities face in the implementation of the various SDGs.
Acquire the essential knowledge and relevant social science concepts and theories required for any university to implement the SDGs.
Learn how universities formulate policies and strategies for the implementation of SDGs and how are policies for overall 2030 Agenda are made.
Find new ways of thinking and problem-solving including working and influencing dynamics in universities, effective team and networks development.
During the workshop, participants from different universities will discover new dimensions in leadership and management practices and help them lead their universities’ initiatives to implement the SDGs.
Program Structure:
The workshop will be facilitated by the best experts from all over the world to provide participants with the best scientific and management solutions to implement effective policy and strategy in their universities to achieve the 17 SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda.
There will be an activity or set of activities for each session. These will be designed to help you engage with the introduction to the theories explored within the workshop.
The facilitator will be on hand to guide you through the workshop and will expect you to bring personal experience and reflection on the topics covered.
Group work will be required for participants to engage in the workshop. Such activity allows participants to embed the new knowledge within their experience through active discussion and challenge.
Programme
Introduction to the university as an organisation.
Understand SD and the UN 17 SDGs.
SDGs targets, indicators and data.
Re-thinking the role of the university in society.
Re-connecting universities with the national policies and strategies for knowledge-based economy.
Universities teaching and research of AI to achieve SDGs and future insights.
Embedding SDGs in universities teaching and research.
Measuring universities performance towards the UN SDGs.
Case Studies Analysis
Discussion and next steps.
Who is this course for?
- The workshop covers materials for all levels from supervisory through to senior leve
- Academics including vice chancellors, deans, heads of departments, researchers and students who are interested in leadership and in being part of an engaging educational experience that explore the challenges and opportunities that face universities.
- Government officials: minsters, undersecretaries, directors, etc.
- Students, youth, NGOs (voluntary) and civil society groups (public).
- Private sector: CEOs, managers and directors responsible for transformation, project, programme, performance, excellence, knowledge, innovation or change management.
- Experienced managers who have significant futures oriented management responsibilities, and who are interested in reflecting on their own experience and discovering new ideas.
- Professionals, SMEs, Start-ups and other stakeholders.
Benefits for Employers
– Understand evolving international requirements for achieving the 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda and the role of universities to systematic approach to research-based policy analysis and formulation.
– Describe the nature, significance and characteristics of each stage of the policy process (i.e. agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation) and explain the various influences on each stage.
– The opportunity for universities to showcase their role in achieving different SDGs of the UN.
– After completion of the workshop, participants (supported by their tutor) will be required to write a report describing what they have learnt and what is particularly relevant to their universities
– They will be given the choice to focus on one single perspective or to build a hybrid model that will help their universities to achieve their strategic and tactical goals.