Tomorrow today; 2010 - unesdoc - Unesco

enforcing acceptable working hours, preventing forced or compulsorylabour and child labour, and ensuring fair wages, freedom ofassociation, non-harassment and safe and healthy working environments.Outside experts and NGOs are commissioned to helpworker representatives understand their rights and to improve theircommunication and problem-solving skills.IBM’s hardware business units and procurement staff provide environmentaleducation for key segments of the IBM supply chain,explaining the use of material declaration forms and their importancein manufacturing products which comply with regulationssuch as the European Union’s RoHS Directive. IBM has also partneredwith industry peers and the University of California, SantaBarbara Bren School to develop the initiative ‘EnvironmentallyResponsible Packaging: A Guideline and Certification Program forthe Electronics Industry’.Approach 3: ESD programmes for the communities that formthe constituencies for businessesAdaro Envirocoal’s mining and port activities in South Kalimantanare supported by a community education and developmentprogramme that includes equipping schools and hospitals, stafftraining, and scholarships for high school, agricultural college anduniversity study. Adaro also provides training and loans to supportthe establishment of farming and plantation activities, aquaculture,automotive and light engineering and local cooperatives. These aresupported by a procurement policy optimizing the use of local goodsand services, thus ensuring market viability in the initial phases ofdevelopment.H&M: In Cambodia, H&M organizes HIV/AIDS awareness andprevention activities, including health promotion sessions andtraining of 300 peer educators who provide education to 3,000factory employees on the issues of HIV/AIDS and reproductivehealth.BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (BSH): In Germany, BSHorganizes the Yolante Women Engineering Training Programme toprepare women for work in the field of engineering through mentoringand personal development programmes. In South Africa, BSHsupports the Buskaid Soweto String Project, which provides musicaltraining for students in classical music forms as well as their owncompositions and interpretations of traditional and modern Africanforms. In Turkey, the firm has developed a highly trained rescueteam to assist community organizations in developing skills formanaging disasters and providing assistance to victims. Firefightersat the BSH Fire Department also hold training sessions for schoolsto raise public awareness of fire prevention techniques to improvesafety at school and at home.Approach 4: Corporate support for ESD in schools, vocationaleducation and training and universitiesBP’s initiatives in the formal education sector range from projects tohelp schoolchildren learn about the environment in the UK, US andChina to high-level academic work in Russia and China. For example:• BP’s signature programme in California and Texas, ‘A+ forEnergy’, provides USD 2.5 million in grants and training toteachers for the enhancement of energy education and hasreached more than 3,000 teachers• In China, the Environmental Educators’ Initiative(EEI) – a partnership between the Chinese Ministryof Education, WWF and BP – is embedding environmentaleducation in China’s national schoolcurriculum through teacher training, pilot schoolsthat test new materials and approaches and 21environmental education centres at teacher traininguniversities• In June 2005, a 10-year, $16-million commitmentwas made to the BP Energy and EnvironmentalProgramme to provide education and training toemerging leaders in the fields of conservation anddevelopment.HK Electric Holdings Ltd runs ‘Education Tours onRenewable Energy’ for students in Hong Kong in partnershipwith the Education and Manpower Bureau ofthe HKSAR Government under the School-BusinessPartnership Programme. HK Electric is one of morethan 130 companies that deliver education on environmentand sustainable development in this programme.Through visits to the company’s wind station andexhibition centre on the Lamma Island of Hong Kong,engineers of the company educate secondary schoolstudents on the operation of windmills as well as thewider use of renewable energy.Newmont Gold Australia’s programmes in remote areasof Australia are based upon a sustainable and effectiveindigenous training and employment strategy.Newmont has developed a comprehensive programmeof pre-vocational and mine access training, guaranteeingsuccessful graduates jobs with Newmont uponcompletion. The programme also involves training incross-cultural awareness to help provide a culturallysafe work environment for indigenous employees, withthe objective of creating a culturally competent andculturally safe work place.From the examples described above, it is clear thateducational initiatives are often targeted at issuesof importance to particular industries. This is notsurprising, given that the companies often want suchinitiatives to have a strategic fit with their line of businessor particular issues that need to be addressed (e.g.supply chains, safety or the environment). Moreover,they are likely to have more skills at hand if they focuson areas where they have existing expertise.Learning from successful initiativesWhilst there are a number of initiatives around ESDacross all industry sectors, what remains to be seen isjust how effective these are and what types of trainingand education are actually most effective. It is importantnow to identify how training and education are actuallydelivered, both within organizations and along supplychains, and to investigate the most successful ways ofeducating target audiences for sustainable developmentin future.[ 53 ]