Continuing education programs must embed sustainability as a foundational principle to prepare professionals for rapidly evolving environmental and market demands, suggests University of Northern British Columbia Manager of Continuing Studies Nicole Neufeld. Neufeld highlights how sustainability is emerging as a strategic imperative across industries—from resource extraction to tourism—and contends that continuing education’s agility positions it to respond quickly to these workforce shifts. She points to tools such as microcredentials, experiential learning, and cross-sector collaborations as ways continuing education can build the skills and mindsets needed for sustainable leadership. Neufeld concludes that continuing education has a “responsibility to shape” leaders who can “understand, embody, and champion” sustainability in our rapidly changing world.
