A recent report and survey from The Open University found that while the majority of businesses are recognising the need to become more sustainable and socially conscious, few are yet to turn these intentions into reality.

Why? Businesses told us that lack of skills is a major blocker.

Maureen Fox, Business Relationship Manager at The Open University in Ireland said: “Environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies are increasingly seen by businesses as central to success. In our recent survey, 77% of respondents agree that ESG factors impact their organisation’s brand or reputation.

“This can influence how investors, customers and even potential employees view the business. Non-compliance towards ESG can also be a blocker to winning contracts with organisations keen to work with companies that have a solid ESG track record. So tackling ESG can have a really strong return on investment.”

Equipping leaders for ESG
Those in management positions may also need to upskill and can use their existing expertise to enable rapid transformation for sustainability. Embracing lifelong learning sets an example for others.

The Open University in Ireland can help you and your employees to acquire formal qualifications that have a strong ESG component. A wide range of degree pathways are available including our Open Degree and Open Masters, which allow an employee to curate a qualification around ESG-related modules and their personal career goals. Other relevant qualifications include BA Business Management, MSC Environmental Management, and several postgraduate qualifications in Systems Thinking, which can have real benefits for organisations to enact transformative innovation.

Get in touch

If you’d like to explore how the OU can help with upskilling your teams, and future-proofing your business, please contact Maureen Fox, our Business Relationship Manager for Ireland.

maureen.fox@open.ac.uk