Bridging the Gap: Sustainability Competency Development for Project Management in Higher Education

This thesis analyzes the ideological gap between learning sustainability and actual application in project-based learning, with emphasis on organizational and individual stories determining sustainability-driven decision-making in medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Sustainability has become an organisational norm today, but graduate and professional participants continuously reference a lack of competencies to successfully propel sustainable projects into dirty, real-world situations. Making use of Sustainable Project Management frameworks, Silvius's Competency Model, and the UNISECO educational model, the research investigates how sustainable are sustainability leadership programs in equipping students with practical challenges to solve, and how organizations apply sustainability to project management practices. Employing qualitative methods of interviews, focus group discussions, and observations in the Malmö University SALSU program, the research evokes some stark differences between theoretical education and practical competence—namely in systems thinking, interaction with stakeholders, ethics-based decision-making, and long-term thinking. The research identifies there is increased demand for more experiential and interdisciplinary learning strategies in alignment of academic education and work demands. Moreover, the study identifies organizational culture and storytelling as drivers that direct sustainability practices, and suggests that individual competencies and institutional frameworks need to evolve in order to bridge the awareness-to-leadership gap. Ultimately, the thesis offers evidence-based recommendations to educators, institutions, and industry partners to enhance education in sustainability so that graduates can make change transformational and gain sustainable outcomes in project settings. Through filling the gap between knowledge, skills, attitudes, and participatory learning, the research creates a way toward more effective sustainability leadership education and practice.