Training on Environmental Sustainability Aspects

ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance

Training on Environmental Aspects of Sustainability

As part of its ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) mandates annual training programmes for all faculty and professional staff members. These programmes strengthen institutional capacity in sustainable development, environmental stewardship, climate resilience, research ethics, and social responsibility across all eight AASTMT campuses: Abu Qir- Alexandria, Miami- Alexandria, Al Alamein- Matruh, Port Said, Heliopolis-Cairo, Doki-Cairo, Smart Village, and Aswan-South Valley.

The training curriculum is reviewed and updated annually to reflect new environmental challenges, updated SDG guidance, and emerging sustainability priorities relevant to AASTMT s maritime and multi-campus context.

Mandatory Requirement

The mandatory nature of this training is grounded in three institutional instruments:

AASTMT Environmental Sustainability Policy: Under Education and Capacity Building commitments, the policy explicitly mandates annual sustainability training for all staff as a core institutional obligation.
SDGs Workforce Committee Directive: The Committee follows up on policy implementation and provides support to ensure training completion across all departments and campuses.
Annual Performance Framework: Training participation rates are tracked as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI). Deans are accountable for ensuring departmental compliance; the Sustainability Unit publishes aggregate completion rates in the Annual Sustainability Report.

The training mandate applies to:

All full-time and part-time faculty members across all colleges and programmes
All professional and administrative staff members
All senior leadership and management
New staff during onboarding (induction sustainability training)

Annual Training Programme — Course Catalogue

The following courses constitute AASTMT s annual training programme on environmental aspects of sustainability. All courses are delivered to faculty and professional staff members. Delivery modalities include face-to-face workshops, blended learning, and online sessions to ensure accessibility across all seven campuses.

Core Environmental Sustainability Courses

#	Course Title	Environmental Learning Outcomes	SDG Alignment	Target Audience	Frequency
1	Sustainable Development in Education	Embedding sustainability across curricula; understanding planetary boundaries; integrating SDG 13, 14, 15 into programme design.	SDG 4, 13, 17	Faculty (All)	Annual
2	Environmental Crisis and Disaster Management	Environmental risk identification; climate hazard response; institutional resilience planning; emergency protocols for environmental incidents.	SDG 11, 13	All Staff	Annual
3	Innovation and Creativity Management	Green innovation frameworks; circular economy principles; sustainable R&D design; low-carbon technology development.	SDG 9, 12, 13	Faculty & Research Staff	Annual
4	Research Ethics	Environmental responsibility in research; ethical use of natural resources; responsible data stewardship; environmental impact assessment principles.	SDG 13, 15	Faculty & Research Staff	Annual
5	Intellectual Property Rights	Protection of green innovations; IP strategies for sustainable technologies; licensing frameworks for environmental research outputs.	SDG 9, 17	Faculty & Admin	Annual
6	Business Continuity and Risk Management	Environmental and climate risk assessment; sustainability-integrated business continuity planning; operational resilience under climate scenarios.	SDG 11, 13	All Staff	Annual

Enhanced Environmental Courses

The following courses have been added and/or substantially strengthened in the 2025 training cycle to address identified gaps in the previous cycle and to respond to AASTMT’s strategic ambition for a Green campus.

#	Course Title	Environmental Learning Outcomes	SDG Alignment	Target Audience	Frequency
7	Carbon Literacy & GHG Accounting	Understanding Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions; GHG Protocol principles; reading and interpreting institutional carbon inventories; personal carbon reduction strategies.	SDG 13	All Staff	Annual
8	Climate Action and the SDGs	Science of climate change; IPCC findings; institutional responsibilities under Paris Agreement; AASTMT’s verified emissions trajectory and 2030 targets.	SDG 13, 17	All Staff	Annual
9	Sustainable Campus Operations	Energy efficiency in daily operations; LED/BMS awareness; waste sorting and recycling protocols; water conservation; sustainable procurement practices.	SDG 12, 13	All Staff	Annual
10	Marine & Coastal Sustainability	Marine ecosystem health; coastal climate risks; pollution prevention; sustainable fisheries; relevance to AASTMT’s coastal campuses and maritime mission.	SDG 14	All Staff	Annual
11	Biodiversity and Land Stewardship	Terrestrial biodiversity principles; campus green space management; invasive species awareness; land degradation and sustainable land use.	SDG 15	All Staff	Annual
12	Environmental Compliance & Reporting	Environmental legislation and standards; sustainability disclosure frameworks (THE Impact, Green Metric, QS); data collection for KPI reporting.	SDG 13, 16	Management & Admin	Annual

Delivery Structure and Governance

Delivery Modalities

Modality	Description	Campuses Covered
Face-to-Face Workshops	Facilitated sessions delivered by sustainability experts and faculty on campus. Includes hands-on activities, case studies, and group exercises.	All 7 campuses (schedule rotated)
Blended Learning	Combination of pre-reading/online modules followed by a synchronous discussion or practical workshop. Allows flexible scheduling for professional staff.	All 7 campuses
Online / LMS Modules	Self-paced online modules hosted on AASTMT’s learning management system. Completion tracked automatically. Used for foundational courses.	All 7 campuses (full coverage)
Induction Training	Mandatory environmental sustainability module embedded in onboarding programme for all new staff. Delivered within first 30 days of employment.	All campuses; all new hires
Specialist Seminars	Guest lectures and practitioner seminars on emerging environmental topics (e.g. IPCC findings, new GHG regulations, coastal climate data).	Hub campuses; recorded for others

Governance, Oversight and Accountability

Role	Responsibility
SDGs Workforce Committee	Strategic oversight of training mandate; approves annual training calendar; reviews aggregate completion data.
Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC)	Monitors training alignment with AASTMT Environmental Sustainability Policy; integrates training outcomes into annual sustainability reporting.
Dean of Scientific Research	Policy owner: ensures training mandate is enacted and resourced institution-wide.
Campus Branch Deans	Accountable for 100% staff participation within their campus; report completion rates to ESC quarterly.
Sustainability Unit	Designs and updates training content; administers LMS modules; compiles participation KPIs for annual report.
Human Resources / Staff Development	Registers all staff for mandatory training; issues completion certificates; flags non-compliance to branch deans.
Academic Affairs	Ensures faculty-specific modules are integrated into faculty development programmes; tracks disciplinary coverage.
Deanery of Student Affairs	Coordinates student-facing components where training intersects with student engagement programmes.

Key Performance Indicators

Training outcomes are monitored through the following KPIs, reported semester-by-semester and published in the AASTMT Annual Sustainability Report:

KPI	2024–2025 Baseline	2030 Target	Owner	Frequency
% of all staff completing mandatory training annually	To be fully baselined 2025	100% completion	HR / Sustainability Unit	Annual
% of faculty completing training annually	To be fully baselined 2025	100% completion	Academic Affairs	Annual
Number of training courses delivered per year	6 (core) + 6 (enhanced) = 12	≥12 courses/year	Sustainability Unit	Annual
Number of staff trained per year (all campuses)	To be baselined 2025	≥500 staff/year by 2027	HR	Semester
% of campuses with training delivered	Target: all 7 campuses	100% coverage	Branch Deans	Annual
Staff satisfaction with training (survey score)	Baseline survey 2025	≥4.0 / 5.0	Sustainability Unit	Annual
New courses added to address SDG gaps	6 new courses (2025)	Reviewed annually	Sustainability Unit	Annual
Induction training completion for new hires (%)	To be baselined 2025	100% within 30 days	HR	Rolling

Continuous Improvement

AASTMT is committed to improving the quality, breadth, and measurability of its mandatory training programme annually. The following mechanisms ensure continuous improvement:

Annual Curriculum Review: The Sustainability Unit reviews all 12 courses annually against updated IPCC guidance, THE Impact methodology changes, and new SDG reporting requirements.
Staff Feedback Integration: Post-training surveys are analysed each cycle; low-scoring modules are redesigned before the following year s delivery.
Gap Analysis Against Rankings: Each year, the Sustainability Unit maps the training curriculum against the specific criteria of THE Impact (SDG 13), QS Sustainability, and UI GreenMetric to identify gaps and expand content accordingly.
New Staff Induction: All new hires complete a mandatory environmental sustainability induction module within 30 days of joining, ensuring no staff member operates without baseline sustainability literacy.
Branch-Level Reporting: Each campus branch dean reports training completion rates quarterly to the ESC, enabling early identification of compliance gaps and targeted support.
External Benchmarking: AASTMT periodically reviews training approaches at top-100 THE Impact institutions to adopt best practices and strengthen its own programme.

Sustainable AASTMT