Climate disruptors of the future will be trained in a new degree program, a company involved in the program said.
Black Mountains College in Talgarth, Powys has launched a BA in Sustainable Futures.
It has teamed up with Cardiff Metropolitan University, the Brecon Beacons National Park and industry partners.
The college claims the course is the world’s first dedicated solely to climate action and is a response “to the climatic and environmental emergency.”
The course will be partly classroom based but will include industry internships and outdoor classes on the college farm campus.
It also involves the natural landscape, the senses and the arts – students are encouraged to immerse themselves in nature – to feel, listen and even taste the world around them. The idea is to consolidate the knowledge learned and create a deep connection with the world around them.
CEO Ben Rawlance said the college was founded on the ethos that climate change is not just a scientific problem, but “a problem of human behavior, values, systems, politics and economics”.
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Jodie Bond of the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority said: “The natural and climate emergencies are of enormous importance.
“We cannot tackle these major challenges that we face as a society alone, we must work together.”
Mr Rawlance said the world of work is already changing as companies employ sustainability and climate officers and this course is about “giving students the tools to envision a different future”.
“These young people will be highly valued by the industry because they will have this holistic worldview,” he added.
“You will understand how change occurs and be trained in theories of organizational change.”
These skills include critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and compassion.
One of the industrial partners is the consulting firm Accenture, which employs 750,000 people worldwide.
Chief Responsibility Officer Peter Lacy said there was an “insatiable” demand for sustainability and systems change expertise.
“[Demand] will increase exponentially for the kind of disruptors that can bring new thinking and new solutions to problems.”
Alison Stunt is studying horticulture in college and said the approach is not purely intellectual: “It’s not academic in that way, it’s not learning from books.
“It means learning from being out there in nature and experiencing things with our whole body, rather than just reading about it and knowing it intellectually.”
Mr Rawlance admitted that it was really difficult for people “trained in these very rigorous courses to find their way around” but it was “obvious for young people who are now showing up”.
“So this is not only urgent and necessary, but also responsive to the market. That’s what the kids want.”
Black Mountains College has received more than £500,000 in lottery funding and is in the process of securing £1.5m in social investment to fund the course’s launch.
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