Climate Action Roadmap

The updated Climate Action Roadmap for Colleges is now available!

Click here to download the updated Roadmap (PDF)
Click here to download the Roadmap Dashboard (excel)

The roadmap provides clear actions and guidance on how colleges can respond to the climate emergency and advance sustainability.

Four years after its initial release, AoC and EAUC have collaborated to revise the roadmap, adding new tools, resources and a roadmap dashboard tool to help colleges monitor their journey towards sustainability.

The revisions are based on sector-wide feedback that we collected with AoC over the past year, ensuring the roadmap remains relevant to the current sustainability challenges faced by colleges.

The roadmap is a critical tool tailored for the college sector, serving as a foundational guide for sustainability strategies. It acts as a map, defining objectives, priorities, and key performance indicators (KPIs). Institutions use its structure as a mapping process and benchmarking tool, kicking off their journey to net zero. The roadmap presents a series of measures, actions, goals and expectations specifically for colleges. It includes a variety of tools and resources that can be tailored to institutions at various stages of their sustainability journey while taking into account limited resource availability.

The Roadmap Dashboard is designed to assist colleges with their climate action goals as a basic beginner's progress dashboard that can be used to baseline and track progress on sustainability goals over time. An in-house institutional resource to support and assist colleges on their journey.

The Roadmap is designed to be:

practical and easy to follow
affordable
outcome-driven

FAQ

Who can use the roadmap?
The roadmap is intended to be used by college Principals and their leadership teams, students and other members of the college community. Although many of the initiatives require executive action or investment, students should be seen as partners in developing and implementing the college’s approach to sustainability. The roadmap can also be shared by the college with other stakeholders – such as local authorities, or businesses – to explain their approach to reach net zero emissions.

Do I need to complete the roadmap actions as specifically as it states?
This roadmap shows just ONE possible path to reach net zero emissions. Because it is intended for the whole sector, it does not take into account the range of contexts colleges operate in and different opportunities. Every college’s journey will look different. We encourage you to use this roadmap as a ‘starter’ as you begin to develop your own roadmap to net zero. While the roadmap offers a universal framework, the actions outlined are adaptable to each institution’s unique context. This flexibility allows educators and staff to interpret and apply the roadmap in line with their specific setting.

What is the difference between the roadmap dashboard and the Sustainability Leadership Scorecard (SLS) Tool, which one should I use?
The roadmap dashboard and Sustainability Leadership Scorecard are two separate tools with slightly different aims and objectives The Climate Action Roadmap focuses specifically on areas linked to climate action. The Sustainability Leadership Scorecard focuses on all aspects of the wider sustainability agenda, including climate action. Once institutions have implemented the Climate Action Roadmap, the Sustainability Leadership Scorecard can be the next step in embedding sustainability across the whole institution. We recommend institutions use which tool is best suited to their objectives.

Will I need to be required to complete the roadmap dashboard?
There is no requirement or obligation to use and complete the tool. The roadmap dashboard is an additional resource for colleges using the roadmap gathered from sector feedback on to support colleges on their climate action journey.

Can I use the roadmap to assist with the Department for Education Climate Actions Plans?
By 2025 all education settings in England are expected to have a Sustainability Lead and Climate Action Plan in place covering decarbonisation, adaptation & resilience, climate education and green careers and biodiversity. Climate Action Plans are whole-institution and cover all areas of the roadmap. Institutions can use the roadmap as a template to develop their Climate Action Plan.

What is the background of the roadmap?
In 2020, the Climate Action for UK FE Colleges Roadmap was developed in collaboration between Climate Commission and award-winning management consultancy, Nous Group.