Skills Bootcamp: Climate Literacy for Sustainable Futures

Currently viewing course to start in 2024/25 Entry.

This Bootcamp will provide you with new skills, knowledge, and a holistic understanding of climate literacy, as highly valued assets in the Net-Zero era. Sessions are guided by the UN Sustainability Development Goals (UNSDGs) as you apply the learning process as a framework to a professional or personal project.

How to apply

Level Short Course
Study mode Short Course
Location City Centre

Award N/A
Start date December 2024

School Birmingham School of Architecture and Design
Faculty Faculty of Arts, Design and Media

This course is:

Overview

Skills Bootcamps are intensive short-term training courses that provide you with an invaluable opportunity to gain sought-after, sector-specific skills as part of the government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee to help everyone gain skills for life.

This course is not open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

The UK government is committed to decarbonise and become net-zero by 2050. This means there is an urgent need across all industry sectors for employees with an understanding of sustainable strategies and how to apply them in real work contexts. With the rapid shift required to meet the zero-carbon agenda, design professionals with the requisite skills, knowledge and climate literacy are highly valued by employers.

The course will provide solid grounding in the central tenets of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals combined with established design processes by the Design Council, as you develop leadership skills in Climate Literacy including:

Introduction to Climate literacy
Systems thinking for sustainable change
Sustainable cities: infrastructures and systems
Circular economy principles
Sustainable materials and Carbon footprinting
Design for biodiversity and healthy green spaces
Net Zero, low carbon, and the whole carbon life cycle
Social and environmental justice
Leading sustainable change

The course has been designed by leading academics, delivering a theory-based series of nine day-long sessions, spread over 14 weeks.

You will attend seminars and presentations delivered by renowned experts at the Birmingham City University campus alongside offsite visits to businesses and organisations delivering the best sustainable practices across the city. There will be guided learning to help you apply the latest strategies, information, and processes to develop an environmental and sustainable plan applicable to your own working environment.

Please note that use of a laptop will be required.

The Climate Bootcamp course has given me the tools, networks, and mindset necessary to navigate our business transition and build a more sustainable and community-focused practice for the future. It offered a unique opportunity to gain insights and skills that are not usually readily accessible, alongside a diverse learning environment of designers, artists, businesses and industry professionals.

Chris Bravington, director at STOAS Architects Limited

I would certainly recommend the Climate Literacy Skills Bootcamp. It offers a huge depth of information and a broad range of topics, so I think anybody who is in the business of specifying materials, working on building projects or even involved in formulating policy would get a lot out of doing the course.

Martha McSweeney, Business Owner

I’d absolutely recommend the Skills Bootcamp, the content provided has been invaluable. I’ve already spoken to friends and colleagues to tell them how great the course is and not just those who work in the sustainability space. It would be really useful for everyone.

Fiona Allen, Sustainability Manager

Why Choose Us?

Delivered by renowned experts from academia and industry, providing the latest knowledge, strategies, and case studies on sustainable development.
Course delivery is designed to support your personal development and professional expertise whilst in full-time employment.
State of the art campus with access to onsite facilities such as the library, teaching spaces, breakout areas, cafés and communal study spaces.
Ideal for workers of all levels: from new starters to business leaders, managers, and professionals from backgrounds including architecture, design, the arts, policy, planning, natural/built environment, product and design management.
Learn how to use Design Council’s Double Diamond Canvas, as an established design tool to map your creative and innovative process.
Upon completion of the course, every graduate will be awarded an official Birmingham City University Certificate of Achievement to recognise their accomplishment and with which to evidence their skills to future employers.

Fees & How to Apply

The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.

Essential entry requirements

Meet the Department for Education's Skills for Life eligibility requirements
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C / 4 or above
Equivalent level 2 or above qualifications can be accepted
Be in employment or registered self-employment in a relevant sector
Provide proof of a Right To Work in the UK or a Share Code for international workers
Either live or work in the West Midlands or looking to increase work in the region
Entry requirements must have been achieved before or at the point of enrolment.

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Course fees

Employers who wish to upskill their personnel using the Skills Bootcamp programme will be charged dependent on business size:

Registered self-employed/sole trader: free of charge (course value £3,850)
SME (10% of total course value): £385
Large organisation (30% of total course value): £1,155.

The remainder will be funded by the Department for Education.

Please email Sarah King at sarah.king2@bcu.ac.uk for more details.

Course duration

Induction day: 14 January 2025

Start date: 24 January 2025

8 day-long sessions over 14 weeks. The teaching days are Friday and Saturday beginning on 24/25 January 2025, with subsequent sessions being held on 14/15 February 2025, 7/8 March 2025, and 28/29 March 2025.
Sessions are recorded and accessible for additional learner throughout the course.
Access to on-campus facilities, labs and wider student support.
Location: Parkside Building and Curzon Building, City Centre Campus, Birmingham City University.

Facilities & Staff

Curzon with Millennium Point and Parkside

Our Facilities

When you join Birmingham City University, the first thing you will notice is the exceptional quality of our campuses. With an investment of over £400 million across our buildings and facilities, we are committed to giving you the very best learning environment to help shape your experience.

You will be based in our multi-million pound Parkside building – a state of the art facility located within our City Centre Campus. Here you will have full access to our recently upgraded, high spec CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) workstations situated within our dedicated computer labs and open access areas.

You’ll also benefit from:

Design studios
Physical and digital library
Dedicated social spaces
Cafés
Bike storage

Our staff

Sarah King

Visiting Tutor – Materials Research and Sustainability

Sarah is a circular economy researcher, sustainability, and innovation consultant with experience in project management, design led research, and systems change. For the last eight years she has worked closely with businesses and academic institutions to educate and identify innovation opportunities in response to current environmental challenges,...

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Dr Jemma Browne

Head of Architecture

Jemma is the Deputy Head of School, Course Director BA (Hons) Design for Future Living and Associate Professor Teaching and Learning. She teaches history and theory of Architecture and Design and coordinates the overall delivery and development of this strand of all the courses in the School, as well as contributing to the development of the School...

More about Jemma

Alessandro Columbano

Associate Professor

Alessandro is the course director for the MArch Architecture (RIBA pt.2) and L7 Architect Apprenticeship at the Birmingham School of Architecture. He also co-established and leads the Co\\aborative Lab:oratory (Co.LAB) an inter-disciplinary design-research initiative within the school that integrates teaching with contemporary creative practices...

More about Alessandro

Russell Good

Senior Lecturer in Landscape Architecture, Deputy Course Director MA Landscape Architecture

Russell Good is a Senior Lecturer in Landscape Architecture, Deputy Course Director of MA Landscape Architecture; a landscape architect, graphic designer and keen mountain biker. Russell’s research explores ecological and hydrological systems in the context of climate change, in order to inform and develop new aesthetic codes in landscape design.

More about Russell

Claudia Carter

Professor in Environmental Governance and Planning

Claudia is a Professor in the field of interdisciplinary environmental research and environmental governance. Her research relates to climate change and sustainability adopting social-ecological systems thinking/approaches. Her main areas of interest are the opportunities and barriers to 'low-impact' living and the emergence of...

More about Claudia

Enquiries

Contact sarah.king2@bcu.ac.uk for further details.