How training in green skills could help turn the tide against plastic pollution

Changing the core curriculums of universities and colleges is a lengthy process – something that can take years if not decades. So, how will you tackle that problem? 

JB: The long-term goal is to help universities and technical colleges develop curricula that address sustainability in a systemic way. But you are right – that takes a long time. So, in the near term, we are focusing on shorter, skills-based courses developed by educational institutions, ideally in collaboration with the private sector. Some of these micro-credentials could also be done after graduation. The aim is to quickly equip students with the real-world skills desired by employers.  

What kinds of fields will you be focusing on? 

JB: The short answer: many. Circularity requires technical skills, yes, but also a shift in mindsets – and in many cases, policies. That’s why we’re taking an interdisciplinary approach, working with students across a range of fields. Some of those you might expect, like engineering and product design, and some of those you might not, like communications and the law. We’ll also emphasize systems-thinking. For example, how do you design plastic products so they last longer, can be repaired and, at the end of their life, be recycled?   

Can this kind of training help address youth unemployment? In Latin America and the Caribbean, youth unemployment is around 14 per cent, triple the rate for adults. 

JB: Yes. This is the other important element of the equation. Along with countering plastic pollution, we are aiming to help young people find stable, decent jobs, which are sorely lacking in many parts of the region, and the wider world. By 2030, there will be an estimated 20 per cent shortfall in employees with green skills worldwide, according to a recent report by LinkedIn. So, students with training in circularity will have a leg up in the job market. 

Why is plastic pollution an issue we need to address now? 

JB: Because plastic pollution is skyrocketing. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development forecasts that by 2060, plastic waste will nearly triple to one billion tonnes a year. Much of that is sure to wind up in the environment as pollution, if current trends continue. But, at the same time, there are nearly 240 million young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in this region. If we can expose them to circularity, if we can equip them with green skills, they can become important allies in the campaign against plastic pollution. 

About World Environment Day  

World Environment Day on 5 June is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by UNEP and held annually since 1973, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. This year, World Environment Day joins the UNEP-led #BeatPlasticPollution campaign to end plastic pollution.    

Since 2018, the UNEP-led #BeatPlasticPollution campaign has advocated for a just, collective, and global transition to a world free of plastic pollution.