About BTEC Sustainability Skills

Find out more about our BTEC Sustainability Skills courses, designed to teach learners what it means to be a global citizen.  

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What are BTEC Sustainability Skills qualifications?

Our BTEC Sustainability Skills courses are designed to help learners realise the positive contribution they can make to communities, environments and workplaces as individuals, and to the world as global citizens.

These flexible personal development qualifications are based around 4 central themes essential for success in work and life:

  • personal skills
  • citizenship skills
  • workplace skills
  • sustainability skills.

Why take BTEC Sustainability Skills?

Sustainability is a subject area many of us feel passionate about. This course helps you take individual ownership of these issues as well as develop practical skills. You’ll also gain the knowledge, understanding and skills to encourage sustainability awareness in others, helping to safeguard and promote a future for all through good citizenship.

What will I learn?

On our BTEC Sustainability Skills courses, you’ll learn the role you play as a global citizen by developing your:

Personal skills...

... the skills that contribute to healthy, happy lives, such as personal identity and social relationships.

Citizenship skills...

... responsible citizenship, including community action and rights and responsibilities.

Workplace skills...

... the core skills needed to succeed in working life, such as teamwork and leadership.

Sustainability skills...

... your understanding of environmental issues like sustainable buildings and waste management.

The qualifications cover 8 sustainability-themed gateways including food and drink, energy and water, travel and traffic, purchasing and waste, buildings and grounds, inclusion and participation, local well-being and a global dimension.

How is the qualification structured?

BTEC Sustainability Skills is accredited on the QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework), which means learners receive credits for the units they complete. Learners can work towards an Award worth 6 credits or a Certificate worth 13 credits, both of which are available at Entry Level 3, Level 1 or Level 2.

With just one mandatory unit, a wide range of optional units and no rules of combination, teachers and learners can adapt the course to suit their needs and interests. The only mandatory unit is a three-credit project, which gives learners the opportunity to undertake independent research into an area that interests them.

How will I be assessed?

There are no formal written examinations on our BTEC Sustainability Skills courses. Instead, you’ll compile a portfolio of work which will be internally assessed at your school or college.