February 14, 2021 Staff Writer

Preparing students for a changing future

Many of today’s jobs will no longer exist by the time your children start their working lives. At the same time, sustainability and the environment will be major drivers in the world of future professional roles. With this in mind, Fairgreen International School has partnered with The Sustainability Management School of Switzerland (SUMAS) to deliver Fairgreen’s IBCP to prepare students for the future.

Today’s children will live in a future that will look quite different to today’s world. A modern education therefore needs to prepare students for the very different world they will inherit – one that is ever-more challenged by:

The effects of climate change and environmental destruction
The widening gap between rich and poor; and
The fast-paced evolution of artificial intelligence and robotics that

All of these things will dramatically alter the career landscape.

Preparing children for a changing future

Providing a platform of learning designed to inspire creativity, innovation and healthy risk taking, the International Baccalaureate (IB) offers schools a blueprint to create a curriculum that gives young people the life skills they will need to be adaptable for the fast pace of our ever-changing world. As the college years approach, inevitably parents start to think deeper about what the future holds for their children and how they can best continue to guide their education.

Many families consider the IB route for their children because of the stellar reputation IB has cultivated among college and university admissions counselors worldwide. IB students tend to be prepared for the rigour of college and arrive at university with many of the desired life skills students need to be successful, such as resilience, adaptability and innovative thinking.

Preparing for future careers in sustainability

There are many IB schools now available in Dubai, but there is one in particular that is distinguishing itself from the others. Fairgreen International School, which is heading into its fourth operational year, offers the full IB Continuum curriculum for ages 3-18 years, but also includes an added focus on sustainability education. Woven into the curriculum of the school, this focus on sustainability is at the heart of the school’s mission. Throughout Fairgreen’s curriculum, in a multitude of subject areas, students examine the environmental, social and economic impact of their collective actions on humanity and the earth.

Partnership with Sustainability Management School (SUMAS) of Switzerland:

Experts predict that many future careers will be in fields connected to sustainability. Understanding this fact, Fairgreen has partnered with the Sustainability Management School (SUMAS) of Switzerland in the development and implementation of its International Baccalaureate Career-related programme (IBCP), which is set to launch this August 2021 in tandem with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) pending formal IB authorisation expected by June.

The SUMAS Career-related Studies (CrS) programme is based on practical projects focussed on sustainability and guided by industry professionals and SUMAS professors. Fairgreen students will be able to embrace an international network specialising in sustainability fields by choosing tracks in:

Nature Conservation
Sustainable Hospitality (Switzerland), or
Sustainable Fashion (Milan, Italy) and more.

In addition, the SUMAS Eco-Club provides a wider connection via a network of IBCP students across the world to share their project experiences and support to create, develop and implement projects that increase sustainability at Fairgreen and beyond in the broader community. Ivana Modena, Founder & President of SUMAS says:

“Our partnership with Fairgreen is a natural fit as we share the same mission and vision to develop students who understand, embrace and champion sustainability. By making connections and joining forces with organisations and industry leaders who share the same aims, we help further sustainability practices. This new relationship between our institutions will most certainly serve to enhance the sustainability movement by providing an exciting IBCP pathway for young people in the region to grow and develop into the much-needed responsible leaders and change-makers of the future.”

The last two years of high school…

Fairgreen students entering their last two years of high school will be able to select IBDP or IBCP as a pathway to complete their secondary education. The small class sizes and synergy between these programmes will offer students the unique opportunity to learn, experience and grow together through shared service-oriented opportunities and coursework with mentors and organisations specialising in sustainability-focused fields.

Located in The Sustainable City of Dubai, Fairgreen has access to the city’s bio-domes, eco-focused businesses and organisations, and an Innovation Centre opening in October 2021, which will be dedicated to sustainability-related research and post-secondary education. Fairgreen’s IBDP and IBCP will be academically rigorous and run alongside each other to include practical experiences working with professionals in The Sustainable City, SUMAS, and beyond who focus in sustainability-related fields, including Nature Conservation, Sustainable Hospitality, Sustainable Fashion, and more.

By graduation time…

Fairgreen International School Director Graeme Scott explains:

“By the time our students eventually graduate from college, many will be applying for positions that currently don’t exist or at least look very different.”

“Automation, the gig economy, climate change and emerging technologies have already begun to alter our work reality. Today’s workers must be able to keep up with technology and manage it appropriately, whilst adapting to change rapidly. Employers, now more than ever, place enormous value on creativity and adaptability in their employees. Our children must be prepared to be pioneers in entirely new careers with imaginative titles, such as: Augmented Reality Journey Builder, Wind Energy Worker, Cyber City Analyst, Bio-Printing Engineer, Personal Data Broker, Virtual Store Sherpa, Genomic Portfolio Director and Agro-ecological Farmer. These are just a few of the new jobs that exist now or analysts predict will exist in the future.”

What differentiates each programme?

The IBCP integrates academia with hands-on, real-world learning for students with an interest in or passion for sustainability, hence students on this track will have a more career-focused experience complemented with challenging coursework.

The IBDP is more academic in focus, designed to help students attain an excellent breadth and depth of knowledge in a broader variety of subject areas. IBDP students will take all coursework with highly qualified, IB-trained specialists at Fairgreen. Students who choose IBCP will take some coursework online with SUMAS and some alongside their peers in the IBDP. Both tracks will provide a holistic, well-rounded approach to learning that includes service projects and an emphasis on wellbeing and sustainability in all its forms.

Fairgreen’s IB curriculum emphasises international mindedness, civic responsibility and global citizenship, especially with respect to promoting sustainable solutions to the myriad of challenges facing humanity.