Risks and Socio-Environmental Sustainability (RSES)

Course Code: S2RSSQ

Course Credit Value: 8

National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level: 5

Lecturers: Prof. Isaac Rampedi and Dr Lee-Ann Modley

Course Coordinator: Dr Lee-Ann Modley

Administrator: Dr Bopaki Phogole (bopakip@uj.ac.za)

Background

Students and professionals have been increasingly showing interest in enrolling for a short learning programme that offers knowledge and competencies in environmental risk assessment, principles and premises of social and environmental sustainability as well as sustainability science.  This demand is necessitated by the growing realization at various geographical scales that human activities are undertaken in an unsustainable manner and we are likely to exceed the limits of acceptable environmental change, thus depleting our natural capital and impairing the functioning of the biosphere. Thus, it is important to introduce a governance strategy that can ensure that the environmental impacts of our lifestyles, products and processes do not adversely affect the biosphere. One way to achieve this goal is through environmental management compliance and meeting a growing number of sustainability targets and goals as minimum requirements for carrying out successful strategies for planning, especially at regional and global scales.

Furthermore, developing knowledge and interrogating issues around sustainability is in line with many of the Sustainable Development Goals announced by the United Nations in 2015. For example, Goal No. 11 seeks to improve resource use and reduce pollution and poverty within human settlements and neighbourhoods by emphasizing pollution prevention and where this is not possible, the removal of wastes from pollution sites for recycling purposes.

Similarly, Goal No.12 is about sustainable consumption and production through resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life for all. In addition, sustainability is also demanded when it comes to most international environmental conventions which offer guidelines in the development of international codes of good environmental practices. Even at a local scale, manufacturing and service-oriented companies are forced to commit themselves to producing environmentally friendly goods and services.

Given these mega imperatives, there is a surge of interest in the hiring of environmental managers and other professionals with a sustainability outlook, a concept and skill that is not always addressed in a satisfactory manner at the high school and university level in terms of what it means, and how it can be measured and enhanced. It is therefore important to orientate all stakeholders towards environmental risk management while creating awareness of the value of sustainable business practices. Sustainable solutions are those that offer stability, durability, resilience, and robustness in specified qualities of human well-being, social equity and environmental quality. Therefore, understanding and managing the different environmental risks associated with human activities and companies is critical towards achieving long-term sustainability goals such as saving energy, reducing air and water pollution, and recycling wastes, thus improving environmental quality.

Purpose of the Qualification

We are in the middle of the Anthropocene, a period characterized by a global environmental crisis (e.g., the ongoing 6th mass extinction, climate change, environmental injustice, etc.) whose consequences on our social fabric are now a matter of concern. This crisis is mainly driven by the unsustainable use of environmental assets in combination with ill-informed decisions whose impacts could be felt across generations. Under the business-as-usual scenario, we risk losing the ecosystem services on which humans rely for their survival. As a result, the future of the human species itself is compromised. In this context, the present SLP aims to train current and future leaders on risk prevention, risk assessment and risk management towards more sustainable human-environment interactions.

Students who complete the short learning programme in risk and socio-environmental sustainability will acquire a number of competencies and skills. This SLP will enable students to be professionally competent and to become acquainted with the different procedures in environmental risk assessment as well as basic skills in understanding social and environmental sustainability and its relevance for organizations in their different contexts.

This learning programme is developed in line with some of the objectives of the National Skills Development Strategy III of the Department of Higher Education and Training, notably Goal 4.2 and Chapter 5.  Goal 4.2 is set to increase access to occupationally‐directed programmes that are in line with (1) Learning Pathways for High-Level Skills; (2)  Learning Programme Regulations; (3) the Higher Education Qualifications and Skills Framework; (4) the SETA Grant Regulations; and the (5) Professional Graduate Pathway Report. On the other hand, Chapter 5 lays emphasis on the acquisition of green skills for a green economy and makes recommendations for future green skills development in South Africa. Similarly, the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) identifies the green economy as one of the three priority areas for scaling up meanwhile the Environmental Sector Skills Plan for South Africa (ESSA) describes the status quo with regard to the demand and supply of environmental skills, and provides information on scarce and critical skills in the sector from a supply and demand perspective.

 Students who complete the short learning programme in risk and socio-environmental sustainability will acquire a number of competencies and skills. This SLP will enable students to be professionally competent and to become acquainted with the different procedures in environmental risk assessment as well as basic skills in social and environmental sustainability and its relevance for organizations in their different contexts.

Academic requirements

The proposed SLP is developed to cater for current university graduates but also novice professionals specializing in environmental management whether at entry level of the job grading continuum or already at post school academic environment.  A qualification corresponding to NQF5 in any discipline is required. This implies that, even if you do not have a solid background in environmental management or science, you can still apply, given that you will be introduced to basic relevant concepts at the start of the course.

Course content

The course content is summarized in 5 themes summarized as follows:

Theme 1: Environmental and social governance: A brief Introduction

• The objectives of environmental and social governance
• Explaining the importance of environmental and social governance
• Key themes in environmental and social governance

Theme 2: Environmental, economic and social risk assessment:

• Understand and explain the concept of sustainable finance
• Categorize environmental and social risks
• Conduct environmental and social risks assessment
• Provide mitigation options of risks
• Understand the management of environmental and social risks
• Environmental Auditing

Theme 3: Environmental aspects of sustainability:

• Explain global environmental concerns.
• Explain the concept of carbon footprint
• Provide options for cleaner production
• Provide ways to prevent pollution
• Contribute strategies to meeting SDGs 2030

Theme 4: Social aspects of sustainability:

• Explain the five dimensions of social sustainability
• Discuss the importance of social sustainability
• Recommend options towards achieving social sustainability within an organization

Theme 5: Sustainability reporting:

• Understand overview of reporting standards
• Understand material topics and boundaries
• Present and compile a sustainability report

Mode of lectures and Fees

Lectures will be delivered primarily using online platforms (Teams), and take place once a week only on Saturdays (5 sessions in total). However, the face-to-face option is also available depending on how many students opt for it (requirement for face-to-face option: at least 15 registered students).

The fee for online sessions is R10 000 whereas that of face-to-face sessions is R12 000. The course fee excludes the university registration fee. The fee must be paid in advance and the proof of payment sent to the coordinator (bopakip@uj.ac.za). Please take note that if your employer is going to pay the fees, all arrangements for the payment must be made by the students themselves. If the employer pays the amount via a bank transfer, evidence of payment must be provided during the registration, and the student number must be used as a reference.

Please take notice of the fact that the University might charge a further administrative fee towards new students not previously enrolled at this university to account for the process of capturing personal data onto the computer system.

Application

Fill the application form (below) and send it to bopakip@uj.ac.za along with supporting documents. Then you will receive feedback informing you whether you qualify or not for the programme (a minimum of NQ5 qualification is required).

If you qualify, then you will have to submit your application online following the process explained below. Through the online application process, your student number will be generated (if you were once a UJ student, you will have to use your old student number). After generating your student number online, specify it on the application form and email it to bopakip@uj.ac.za. Send these documents by April 30th 2025.

• Application Form

For further information, contact:

Dr Bopaki Phogole

Course administrator

Dept. of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies

Tel. No. (011) 559-4423

E-mail: bopakip@uj.ac.za (preferably).

Information to Applicants

If you are applying for the first time at UJ:  Click here

Your UJ student number and PIN would be required to apply using the link above.  If you have forgotten your PIN, then you would have to call the UJ Call Centre on 011 559-4555 to update your biographical contact details e.g. email address and cell number.

If you were once a UJ student, use the link: Click here

For both scenarios (old and new UJ students), the token (SCISLP) must be typed in CAPS by applicants/students where it is written TOKEN, or else the qualification will not populate, and the application will remain incomplete.

All application documents must comply with the following:

• Supporting documents must be certified.
• When scanning, each document must be scanned as separate attachment.
• The scanned format to be used must be jpeg.

Please follow the above guidelines and email your documents to ujappdocs@listsrv.uj.ac.za with only your student number in the subject line.

Download application form