Marketable Skills
Environmental education and Industry 4.0
"Skill development is central to the transition toward a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable economy." – Eva Erjavec
The buzz around jobs and technology may feel new, but it isn't.
Fifty-four years ago, there was a conversation about the threat computerization and automation posed to managers and the overall workforce at that time. This was in 1972 (Erjavec 2026, p. 159). Today, AI has professionals across diverse sectors rethinking what their future will be like. New research suggests this disruption isn't as novel as it seems.
A Grounded Perspective
There is a growing need for skills that build interdisciplinary and inclusive work environments. These skills aren't nice to have. They are an economic and social priority.
This sentiment is the key message of a paper published last month in Economic and Business Review. This message is based on an extensive survey of literature addressing industry needs, workforce development, and the training systems already in place. Professor Eva Erjavec writes about her findings in Towards an Inclusive Labour Market: Skills for the Future.
Erjavec analyzed 17,629 documents from 4,320 sources. Source material included articles, book chapters, books, and conference papers. She discovered patterns about technology's impact on the workforce, future workforce skills, automation, and sustainability.
She also writes about Industry 4.0, which is the name assigned to the current wave of societal change brought on by artificial intelligence and technology.
As you've seen yourself, resistance to AI is all over the map. Some disciplines send the message, "Don't even think about using it," while others discuss how to use AI to move their work forward.
There is some good news for environmental educators in Erjavec's findings – sustainability and green skills are valued and in demand. There is momentum behind this demand because future skills frameworks call for sustainability training alongside digital literacy. This is according to de Sousa Jabbour et al. (2018), a paper Erjavec cites in her article because it emphasizes the need for future skills to go beyond digital know-how and include knowledge of sustainability, the principles of a circular economy, and an understanding of ESG (Erjavec 2026, p. 162).
Still more encouraging is the result of a keyword analysis across the documents Erjavec analyzed. The analysis revealed language around a "green economy", "sustainability," "carbon emissions," and discussions about environmental themes.
I read papers like this because I'm looking for links and insight between environmental education and work in other fields. I don't expect a sociologist or economist to say the words "environmental education" specifically; I'm more looking for suggestions or nods toward the field. I found some in this paper and something even more valuable.
When Erjavec discussed the gaps she observed in her analysis, two things stood out:
- The lack of interdisciplinary research addressing "perspectives from economics, education, and psychology."
- The lack of longitudinal studies exploring the transformation that occurs when workers transition between sectors.
These gaps caught my attention because this is what I want to explore and describe in my work reimagining environmental skills.
Have you been thinking about reimagining what you do?
What changes are you noticing in your programs or the organizations you belong to when it comes to green skills, transitioning into new roles, or interdisciplinary collaboration?
I'm working on a follow-up piece and welcome insight from practitioners, hiring managers, and others. I would love to hear your perspective.
You can reach me here.
Literature Cited (Open Access)
Erjavec, E. (2026). Towards an Inclusive Labour Market: Skills for the Future. Economic and Business Review, 28(2), 155-175. https://doi.org/10.15458/2335-4216.1373
