IÉSEG trains its employees in Sustainable Development and Diversity
04/04/2023
Deeply rooted in the School’s Vision, IESEG’s 2022-2027 strategic plan places a strong emphasis on sustainability, one of the five major pillars of this plan. However, in order for everyone to take ownership of these CSR topics and issues and integrate them into their daily activities as well as their teaching, it is essential that all of the School’s staff, both academic and administrative, rely on a common base of knowledge and a common understanding of what the term “sustainability” means and encompasses. IÉSEG has therefore decided to roll out a major training program in 2023 to train 100% of its administrative and academic teams in Sustainable Development and Diversity.
©IÉSEG
The implementation of this training program will allow each person to act in an impactful way, related to his or her job, to face the current environmental and social challenges. The themes (such as planetary limits and their link with the economy, the reduction of discrimination, new environmental regulations…) at the heart of this training, entitled “Transition 2026”, relate to all the programs that IÉSEG offers its students, as well as to the development of the School as an organization and a place to live.
Launched in February 2023 and taking place over a period of 18 months, “Transition 2026” consists of 7 modules. The first 5 modules (“Sustainability at IÉSEG”, “Sustainability and the Environment”, “Intercultural Diversity” and “Social Sustainability” and one elective) are scheduled by the end of 2023. At the beginning of 2024, each service or department will then have to propose a roadmap explaining how each one can take into account this Sustainable Development dimension in its activities and become an actor in the sustainable transformation of IÉSEG in all sectors as well as in its teaching to students. “Transition 2026” will end with an on-site visit (to a company, an association, an academic partner, etc.) or with an inspiring conference on these Sustainable Development topics.
“The goal of this training is to get each employee involved in a real in-depth reflection on the role of a management school, and not simply discuss a subject for a few hours. We want this training to have a real impact over time, allowing the construction of concrete roadmaps at the team and individual levels to allow for a deeper and progressive awareness of each person on this major subject”, explains Myriam DEGRAVE, Head of Environmental and Societal Impact at IÉSEG.
©IÉSEG
“We have also made it a priority to ensure that the training courses are mixed. Indeed, for the first modules, professors and administrative teams from all departments and from each campus mix together to fuel discussions and debates on subjects and issues that are crucial to the future of the School, the planet and society. This diversity allows the teams to get to know each other better and to work together more effectively on a common subject while understanding the expectations and constraints specific to each profession. Above all, this mix allows for the emergence of innovative and creative ideas for achieving IÉSEG’s CSR objectives. Thus, the first module allowed the participants to initiate reflections and courses of action on various themes such as the adaptations of our teaching and research, the impact of our campuses and our mobility, the quality of life at work, the social openness for our students, as well as diversity and discriminations. All of these issues are of paramount importance to contribute to a more fair and sustainable society,” adds Myriam DEGRAVE.
This initiative is also a way to engage and unite the 500 or so employees of IÉSEG around a common project, one that supports them and connects them to the major challenges facing society today and tomorrow. This represents a key step in training tomorrow’s leaders so that they can measure and control the economic, social, societal and environmental impacts of their decisions.