Sustainability 101 Course for Policy Officers

 

CNCS launched its inaugural Sustainability 101 Course for Policy Officers in 2022 in collaboration with the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS), Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group, and NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE) Global. Sustainability 101 is symbolic of a “whole-of-nation” sustainability movement to create a robust green talent pipeline as enshrined in the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between NUS and NCCS, for several runs of the course. Four runs of the course will be organised in 2024:

  • Run 1: 22 - 25 April 2024
  • Run 2: 15 - 18 July 2024 (click through to check out our web story!)
  • Run 3: 7 - 10 October 2024
  • Run 4: 25 - 28 November 2024

 

Course Highlights:

  • Upskilling policy officers on crucial sustainability and circularity concepts to better inform their respective policy domains and decision-making processes
  • Unique modalities such as lectures, moderated dialogues and discussions, and panels
  • Preparation of case studies presented to senior government officials

 

Areas of Knowledge Covered:

The course aims to train participants to:

  • Understand international developments and sustainability trends in order to confidently design sustainable policies in their domain.
  • Grasp the policy implications of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports.
  • Develop perspectives on core policy pillars - mitigation, adaptation, green economy, international negotiations, sustainability champions, & science and technology.
  • Become climate-smart users and purchasers.
  • Be better equipped to work with deep experts in sustainability.
  • Craft carbon and environmental mitigation and adaptation strategies.

 

Read the press release here.

View the 2024 brochure here.

Email CNCS.CET@nus.edu.sg to register interest if you are a government officer.

Testimonials

Greatly enjoyed this learning experience. It was a good mix of policy, science, academia and practitioners perspectives. Keep it up! 

  • Tan Suan Jow, Dean, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Academy, Run 2 (April 2023)

The course has equipped me with fresh perspectives on sustainability, thanks to the various speakers and academics who took the time to expose us to pertinent concepts and issues. It was also heartening to learn and be connected with policy officers hailing from different parts of the public sector, all of whom share my belief that sustainability is a pressing issue of our time.

  • Shaw Qi Xuan, Executive, Public Sector Sustainability Office (PSSO), Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Inaugural Run 2022

The impacts of climate change are already being felt around the world and will get worse unless we take action to reduce our emissions and transition to a more sustainable future. The course provided practical tips and solutions for individuals and organisations to play their part in tackling climate change, and I would recommend this course to anyone looking to learn more about the urgent need for climate action and what we can do to make a difference.

  • Shaun Yap, Assistant Director (Corporate Planning), Sentosa Development Corporation, Inaugural Run 2022

As a policy officer new to the sustainability space, the 5-day Sustainability 101 Course for Policy Officers was a very useful and comprehensive primer covering the basics of climate change, international climate agreements, mitigation efforts, adaptation, the energy transition and other topics. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn from academic experts through easy-to-understand lectures, engage with public/private/civil society representatives through panel discussions and network with fellow policy officers to explore opportunities for further collaboration. I am looking forward to applying what I have learnt to my work!

  • Isabelle Kong, Manager, National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS), Strategy Group, Prime Minister’s Office (SG-PMO), Inaugural Run 2022