BO5 - Environmental Management and Sustainable Development Programme

 The Programme

This unique twelve-week programme at the University of Bangor, Wales is to make a positive contribution to India’s progress in the field of environment and development. The programme’s objectives are to enhance scholars’ understanding of environment and development issues, the concept of sustainable development and the challenges associated with it.  The programme emphasises on the sociological and economic aspects of environmental management and sustainable development, as well as covering relevant technical areas at a generalised level. Scholars are thus equipped with a comprehensive set of policy tools and practical skills with which to address the broad range of environmental problems facing the modern India.

The Aim and Objectives of the programme:

Britain is widely recognised as a leading player in the development and application of environmental policy and management in the public and private sectors. Britain also has good experience in mainstreaming sustainable development in public policy, governance, private sector initiatives and civil society action. The Environmental Management and Sustainable Development Programme therefore offers an opportunity for Indian managers to share their experience and expertise with professional in the field.

Applications are sought from young professionals working in the field of environment from across the country.  Applicants who indicate that they want narrowly specialised technical training will not be short listed as the course is unlikely to meet their needs.  Past scholars have come from a wide range of organisations and disciplines with interests in the urban and rural sectors.  These have included scholars from Central and State Environment and Forestry agencies, Pollution Control Boards, Private Sector Industry and Commerce, Consultancy Companies, Environment and Development NGO’s and Research Organisations.  The programme places emphasis on selecting a diverse group who can learn from each other, and who are keen to address the developmental challenges of today’s India.

The educational approach puts considerable emphasis on work-related training so that academic understanding is related to a practical context.  The aim will be to improve scholars’ personal and professional capacity to synthesise multiple concepts and produce an integrated response to complex issues relating to environment, development and sustainability.  This is achieved through a programme covering the following subjects:

·         Human ecology and environmentally sustainable development

·         Environmental policy development and strategic planning

·         Economic and social concerns in environmental management

·         Environmental law and governance

·         Partnerships for development: roles of the state, business and civil society

·         Environmental management systems and practices

·         Participatory environmental and natural resource management

·         Sectoral issues: learning from the UK experience

·         Putting it all into practice: effecting positive social and environmental change

Format:

The programme comprises twelve weeks of professional development, including a mix of both academic and experiential training. Three weeks of the programme are spent on institutional and field visits, and two weeks are devoted to direct experience of UK practice through work-attachments related to the scholars’ interests. The programme is designed with a flexible and participatory approach to learning.  This is achieved through a combination of lectures, workshops, case-studies, role-play and simulation exercises, laboratory investigations and computer work. Emphasis is on interactivity with and between scholars, using discussion groups and presentational feedback techniques. The participants will be given the opportunity to pursue a practical project relating to their own interests which is of direct relevance for environmental problem-solving in the Indian context.  The participants will be required to make a presentation of their project at the end of the course. Participants will be asked to discuss their ideas for study projects as part of the selection process

Number of Scholarships:                   Up to twelve (12)

Subject(s):                                            Environmental Management and Sustainable Development

Level and Duration:                           Advanced training programme of twelve (12) weeks duration    

UK Institution:                                     University of Wales, Bangor (www.bangor.ac.uk)

Target professional group:               Outstanding environment professionals and practitioners, involved in the development and application of environmental policy and management in the public, private or non-government sectors, who have the potential to rise to senior positions where they can make significant contributions to environment and sustainable development.

Age limit:                                              25-35 years as on 30 November 2005

Eligibility:                                            Applicants for this programme should have an active and demonstrable interest and commitment in any aspect of environment and sustainable development. They must also be interested in understanding the wider context and development and policy planning to put into practice the concept of sustainable development (to be assessed from a personal statement provided on the application form)

 Note: The candidates should also have at least five years of relevant work experience in at least one of the following:

  ·         a sector with environment as the main focus, such as forestry, biodiversity, environmental science and education, conservation, pollution control, environmental law and regulation, gender and the environment.

·         rural or urban development, but with a relevant link to environmental management, such as working in rural support programmes, power and energy, industry and commerce including tourism, agriculture and irrigation, housing, public health, water supply and sanitation, infrastructure, roads, transport, railways or food for work programmes.

 They should also have excellent proficiency in English and be computer literate.  They should not have been short-listed on a previous environmental manager’s programme unless they were one of the reserves for the programme.

 Programme Dates:                              12 weeks beginning late September 2006