Sustainable Society Leader Development Working Group
Purpose of the Sustainable Society Leader Development WG
Achieving the Sustainable Society requires both technological and social innovations, and it is necessary to face unknown challenges that cannot be solved by existing technologies and knowledge alone. The development of human resource and the improvement of environmental literacy, which will be the bearers of these efforts, are urgent issues in the world and in the country. It is also important to work on human resource development that meets the needs of society, develop problem-solving skills based on practical application in society, and foster social entrepreneurs.
From these perspectives, Sustainable Society Leader Development WG will deepen discussions on the elements necessary for human resource development to achieve Co-creation of the Sustainable Society, while incorporating knowledge from the initiatives of companies, local governments, and other organizations, as well as advanced overseas examples. In addition to these activities, the Center also aims to promote the creation of curricula and teaching materials through collaboration within the university, as well as the exchange of human resource between companies, local governments, universities and technical colleges.
Examples of Activities
Offering "Introduction to Sustainability," a common program for all university and technical college students
In May 2025, we began offering "Introduction to Sustainability," an on-demand common education program on sustainability for all students and graduate students of Osaka Metropolitan University, as well as all students of Osaka Metropolitan University Technical College.
This educational program has been reorganized by selecting and restructuring the fundamental knowledge that all students should acquire from the content of four compulsory first-year courses in the College of Sustainable System Sciences at Osaka Metropolitan University: "Natural Systems and Sustainability," "Social Systems and Sustainability," "Human Systems and Sustainability," and "Information Systems and Sustainability."
After completing a common course consisting of eight classes, you can choose and take a course of interest from four different systems, each consisting of seven classes.
This educational program is not a credit-bearing regular course, but we believe it will significantly contribute to enhancing the quality of sustainability education at our university.
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Creating system for human resource development utilizing students' environmental activities
At Osaka Metropolitan University, students are involved in a variety of environmental activities. Since practical experience is very important to become a sustainable society leader, this WG aim to establish a system for human resource development that takes advantage of such voluntary activities by students.
Below are some examples of student activities.
Example 1: Activities by “Environmental Club (ecolosuke)”
At Osaka Metropolitan University, the “Environmental Club (ecolosuke)” promotes environmental awareness activities and reusing/recycling, both on and off campus. Through these activities, students aim to realize a sustainable society.
Example 2: Forest Growing Activities
At Osaka Metropolitan University College of Technology, as part of its extracurricular activities, the "Space Design Club" has been involved in the "Forest Growing" activities at Mt. Makio in Izumi City since 2012 in cooperation with the Osaka Prefectural Government and other organizations. Through these activities, students learn about forest conservation and regeneration.
