Sustainable Talent Development: Embedding Green Skills and Mindsets in Workforce Training

Since we live in a world battling significant environmental sustainability issues, structures within organizations need to change how training is provided to human resources (HRs) that mirror the green ethos of a quality workforce. This chapter focuses on how businesses can integrate sustainability into employee development programs in a bottom-up way to create an upskilled, environmentally minded workforce. The chapter begins with an overview of sustainability from a human resource development (HRD) perspective and the relationship between green HR practices and corporate sustainability. It also examines the necessary skills for sustainability, eco-literacy, circular economy understanding, and green leadership, and identifies the building of the green skills industry by industry. The second part of the chapter covers how to steer sustainability training through modern methods, like e-learning, gamification, and experiential learning. The chapter also covers common challenges organizations encounter, such as resistance to change, lack of buy-in, resource constraints, and strategies for overcoming these hurdles. This ultimately leads to the need to measure sustainability training through key performance indicators (KPIs). This chapter includes real-world examples of MNCs, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), government, and nonprofit collaborations. Embedding green skills and mindsets into workforce training is about more than brand; organizations that make this investment are better positioned to gain long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits as they build toward global sustainability goals.