Specialist Status in Education for Sustainable Development (SSESD)

Gain professional recognition that validates your educational sustainable development (ESD) expertise, positioning you as a trusted leader in sustainable educational change.

Developed by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) and the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), the Specialist Status in Education for Sustainable Development (SSESD) is the first formal accreditation in the UK’s Further Education (FE) and Skills sector for advanced ESD practice. It is based on a seminal report jointly produced by ETF and the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), ensuring SSESD reflects the latest sector-wide research and expertise around sustainable teaching, leadership, and operations.

Launch date: April 2025

Duration: 12-week, competency-based validation

Modality: Live Online

If you’re an organisation interested in this validation for your team, we’d love to discuss how this specialist status can meet your specific needs by contacting us by using the ‘Register your interest’ button. If you’re an individual you can book now using the button the below.

Two students and a teacher stand in a greenhouse looking up at a large plant.

Specialist Status highlights

1. Professional recognition

Receive a formal accreditation similar to Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills Status (QTLS) and Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) that acknowledges your advanced expertise in Education for Sustainable Development.

2. Addressing climate change and net-zero goals

Align your work with the UK’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy and UNESCO’s ESD framework, helping professionals and institutions transition toward a low-carbon economy.

3. Bridging the green skills gap

Support students, colleagues, and workplaces in developing the competencies needed for a sustainable workforce meeting the UK’s urgent demand for green skills.

4. Inclusive and flexible

Whether you’re a teacher, leader or member of FE professional services, SSESD’s 12-week online process is designed to accommodate diverse roles and busy schedules.

5. Future-proofing education

Stay ahead of emerging educational challenges by integrating globally recognised sustainability competencies into your practice.

6. Demonstrable impact

Demonstrate your capability to influence institution-wide sustainability efforts through a recognised, competency-based accreditation. SSESD validates your expertise, reinforcing your credibility to drive meaningful, lasting change that advances sustainability goals within your organisation and across the sector.


What you’ll achieve

The competency-based validation

The SSESD framework is built around nine core ESD competencies derived from the ETF-EAUC report and UNESCO’s ESD guidance ensuring participants can illustrate genuine impact:

  1. Continuously reflecting on and investing in ESD-related CPD
  2. Self-awareness of personal ESD competencies
  3. Contributing to learners’ ESD skills (directly or indirectly)
  4. Supporting learners’ progression and employability
  5. Developing and sharing role/subject-specific sustainability expertise
  6. Using evaluation and feedback to measure ESD impact
  7. Collaborating to build partnerships and sector-wide networks
  8. Ensuring ESD is accessible and inclusive
  9. Driving broader organisational and community change

Who should enrol?

  • Educators, leaders, and support staff in an educational setting or environment who are already embedding sustainability in their learning and working environments.
  • Professionals at any career stage aiming to formalise their sustainability expertise and enhance their impact.

Indicative timetable

This information may change, however it will give professionals an idea of time commitment and scheduling. Please note this is subject to change and we reserve the right to do so.
Week-by-Week Breakdown

Pre-Validation (Before 08 April 2025)

  • Read post-application communications
  • Acknowledge available support via Programme Lead and Standards & Status Manager

Week 1 (w/c 07 April 2025)

  • Step 1: Introduction to the validation process
  • Live Support Session 1:
    • Date: Tuesday, 8 April 2025
    • Time: 4:15 PM
    • Duration: 45 minutes
    • Format: Online (Microsoft Teams) with break-out rooms

Week 2 (w/c 14 April 2025)

  • Step 2: Understanding your ESD competencies
  • Submission: Workbook Activity 1 – ESD Profile Questions
  • Easter Break: w/c 21 April 2025

Week 3 (w/c 28 April 2025)

  • Step 3: Developing your ESD knowledge

Week 4 (w/c 5 May 2025)

  • Step 4: Developing ESD competencies and practice
  • Live Support Session 2:
    • Date: Thursday, 8 May 2025 (Recommended, but may vary by Programme Lead)
    • Time: 4:15 PM
    • Duration: 45 minutes
    • Format: Online (Microsoft Teams) with peer-review groups

Weeks 5-6 (w/c 12 & 19 May 2025)

  • Continued validation process
  • Mid-validation progress check by Programme Leads

Week 7 (w/c 26 May 2025)

  • Step 5: Preparing for peer review (to be completed by 20 June 2025)

Week 8 (w/c 2 June 2025)

  • Submission: Workbook Activity 2 – Preparing and uploading evidence
  • Live Support Session 3:
    • Date: Tuesday, 3 June 2025 (Recommended, but may vary by Programme Lead)
    • Time: 4:15 PM
    • Duration: 45 minutes
    • Format: Online (Microsoft Teams) with peer-review groups

Weeks 9-10 (w/c 9 & 16 June 2025)

  • Step 5: Peer Review (Must be completed by 20 June 2025)
  • Submission: Peer review feedback form

Week 11 (w/c 23 June 2025)

  • Step 6: Reflection and planning future ESD activity
  • Submissions:
    • Workbook Activity 3 – Peer review feedback
    • Workbook Activity 4 – Future ESD activity plan
    • Workbook Activity 5 – CPD plan

Week 12 (w/c 30 June 2025)

  • Step 7: Completing the validation process

Post-Validation (After 01 July 2025)

Certificates issued

Await outcome and feedback

The majority of steps are self-paced and the plan is a recommended timeline to support progress but professionals can work through the validation process at their own pace, depending on other time/dairy commitments. 

The support sessions aim to share practices and questions between colleagues. Support sessions are optional. All the information will available on the online learning platform.

Entry requirements

Requirements to undertake the validation programme:

  • Be working in an educational setting or environment, either on a paid or voluntary basis.
  • support from your organisation.
  • Be in a position to demonstrate:
    • a high level of effective practice and application of ESD in an educational environment*   
    • opportunities to further develop advanced knowledge, skills and behaviours related to ESD policy to continue demonstrating the most effective practice in your own setting**  
    • opportunities to apply ESD knowledge, skills and behaviours with your own role, professional setting and/or organisation
    • opportunities to evidence impact of the SSESD developmental process on your own practice, learners, colleagues or organisation in accordance with the nine core competencies in the programme framework.
  • There is no requirement to hold formal qualifications in ESD to access the programme.

*The SSESD process validates and confirms existing advanced knowledge, skills, behaviours and effective practice related to ESD. The programme does not contain learning material.

**The SSiSD is not suitable for those seeking an introductory programme to ESD. Applicants who are currently building their knowledge and skills in ESD may need to undertake CPD prior to registering for the SSESD programme.

Pricing

  • £195 for the 12-week SSESD accreditation.
  • Re-accreditation is likely every three years at a nominal fee, promoting ongoing professional growth in ESD.

Ready to take the next step?

If you’re an organisation interested in this validation for your team, we’d love to discuss how this specialist status can meet your specific needs by contacting us by using the form below. If you’re an individual you can book now using the button the below.

For any queries, contact enquiries@etfoundation.co.uk.