Learning outcomes for OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Environmental and Sustainability Management

Mandatory units

Fundamentals of Sustainability

• Understand the key concepts of sustainability and their relation to economic growth and development.
• Understand the context of sustainability and the reasons for urgent action, with a special focus on climate change and biodiversity.
• Understand the role of private enterprises and innovation in the transition to sustainability.
• Understand the need for global initiatives and treaties on sustainability and climate change.
• Understand the principles and perspectives of business ethics and its use in discussions regarding climate change and sustainability.

Environmental Science and Energy Transition

• Understand the physics of the energy related carbon cycle and its impact on temperature.
• Understand the physical principles of harvesting renewable alternatives to fossil fuels and the technological and market developments within this area.
• Understand the physical principles of non-renewable alternatives to fossil fuels, the political sensitivities of nonrenewables and the technological, and market developments related to these sources of energy.
• Understand the dependence of alternative energy sources on storage and grid management.
• Understand the trilemma of energy transformation and the need for national policies and international cooperation.

Environmental Management in Organisations

• Understand topics relevant for environmental management and the reasons why organisations should choose to manage them.
• Understand environmental assessment and management tools and their advantages and disadvantages.
• Understand how to develop and deliver environmental performance improvement.
• Understand approaches collection, analysis, reporting and communication of environmental data.

Research Methods

• Be able to develop research approaches in a suitable context.
• Be able to critically review literature on a business research topic.
• Be able to design business research methodologies.
• Be able to develop a research proposal.

Optional Units

Delivering Transformational Change

• Understand how to conduct a materiality assessment to understand priorities for change and change readiness.
• Understand key techniques, practices, behaviours, and knowledge of change management.
• Understand the behaviour of complex systems and how to change them.
• Understand how a leader’s style and approach has a major impact on both team and individual performance, values, and motivations.
• Understand the meaning and purpose of ESG Governance Structure and how to develop it.

Advanced Principles of Net Zero

• Understand the meaning and importance of “net zero” at a conceptual level.
• Understand the application of the fundamentals of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Accounting.
• Understand science-based targets and their facilitating role to deliver net zero
• Understand how to communicate an organisation’s response to climate change, net zero pledges and green claims.
• Understand how and to which extent organisations and society can adapt to climate change.

Environmental Politics and Policies

• Understand principles and examples of environmental policy and legislation.
• Understand the role of ethics in international climate agreements and governance.
• Understand economic instruments available to effect change related to environmental and social issues.
• Understand suasive instruments available to effect change related to environmental and social issues.
• Understand key international agreements related to environmental governance and climate change politics.
• Understand the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the importance of the sustainability agenda.

Sustainable Finance

• Understand the relevance of the Financial Industry to sustainability across different financial instruments and asset classes.
• Understand how physical and transition risks, particularly those related to climate change, translate to financial risks and how this is managed by financial organisations and central banks
• Understand sustainable / ESG financing strategies and products that facilitate sustainable transition and development.
• Understand the value and use of ESG ratings and labels.

Sustainability as a Business Strategy

• Understand the relationship between Economics and Sustainability and the four rationales of why sustainability is in businesses’ interest.
• Understand how sustainability impacts businesses’ value chain and how companies can capitalise on being sustainable.
• Understand the limitations of “traditional” accounting and the need to approach the concept of value holistically.
• Understand the concept of the circular economy, circular business models and the challenges related to operating and financing circular businesses.
• Understand the role of marketing and stakeholder engagement in the transition to sustainability and the risks of poor marketing practices.