Why are virtual teaching and training methods more sustainable?

Sustainable development is the key to a better future for ourselves, our communities and our planet and virtual teaching and training will help your organization reach your sustainability objectives.

Organizations are acknowledging the impact their operations and objectives have at a societal level and are taking steps to become part of the solution to the world’s most pressing problems.

In this sense, the United Nations elaborated 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. They include plans to eliminate poverty, hunger and inequality, improve health, education and working conditions, and strive for sustainable cities and responsible production.

At Barco, we guide our sustainability strategy by the UN SDGs and have translated it into three pillars: Planet, People, and Communities. As our CEO, Jan de Witte stated, ´we believe growing our company goes hand in hand with helping our people and the communities around us thrive, while safeguarding our planet.´ We encourage and support all organizations to do the same and become more sustainable. 

People are demanding increased sustainability efforts

This shift towards sustainable development is supported by people of all ages, but it´s the younger generations that are most active in their demands. And they are making up an increasingly larger proportion of the workforce. According to Gallup, only in the U.S., Gen Z and Millennials now make up nearly half (46%) of the full-time workforce.

The Cone Communications Millennial Employee Study found that 64% of Millennials consider an organization’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work and 83% would be more loyal to an organization that helps tackle these issues.

When it comes to Gen Z, the data is even more categoric. A study by WeSpire found that Gen-Z is ‘the first generation to prioritize purpose over salary´.

Young generations are also changing higher education and shifting the business focus towards a more holistic view based on the triple bottom line - profit, people and planet.

Responsible and ethical leadership are significant issues for MBA participants, according to Tomorrow’s MBA, an annual survey by consultancy CarringtonCrisp, cited in Financial Times. In its latest study, 70% of respondents mentioned ethical leadership as the most important to business education teaching and research, followed by diversity and equality (67%).

In a UK national survey led among 9000 students, 91% think their place of study should actively incorporate and promote sustainable development. Younger generations want to work and study in places and with people that share these values.

Sustainability should be top of the agenda for all organizations. So how can virtual teaching and training exactly contribute to your sustainability strategy?

Virtual teaching and training support sustainable development 

Virtual teaching and training can support inclusive and equitable quality education, promote lifelong learning opportunities and improve gender balance. 

Virtual methods offer more flexibility by allowing learning from whenever there is an internet connection and at any time of the day for asynchronous methods. This means training and education can include more diverse learners previously constrained by geography or timing. Additionally, it can lower tuition fees, training costs and even increase number of scholarships in educational institutions.

From the environmental perspective, going virtual will essentially cut travelling, significantly lowering an organization's carbon footprint, supporting the efforts to combat climate change and its impact.

Barco University – our company’s learning & development division – implemented two virtual classrooms and one virtual hybrid classroom using weConnect in 2019.

Over the first 16 months of use, weConnect enabled 1170 participants to learn for 3700 hours. That resulted in 2 million flying kilometers, 50 trips around the globe and 461 tons of CO2 saved. You can read the whole story here.

Barco weConnect will help your organization become more sustainable

Our virtual teaching and training solution, Barco weConnect can help you fulfill your sustainability objectives and become part of the solution to some of the world´s most pressing issues, while attracting bright, forward-looking talent.