A new educational approach integrates project management skills and sustainable development to prepare new generations for global challenges
Sustainability challenges require more than just technical knowledge: they necessitate a fundamental change in mindset and approach to problems. This was the reflection presented by Dr. Erina Guraziu, PhD, representing OpenCom during the recent Expert Panel held on April 24, 2025, at the Faculty of Economics in Niš, as part of the European project “UP-SKILLING RESEARCHERS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP BASED ON INNOVATION PROCESS MANAGEMENT” (USE IPM), dedicated to sharing guidelines on sustainable entrepreneurship processes in academia for policymakers in Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia.
Soft Skills: They Are Acquired, Not Taught
Research in the field of educational science has shown that transversal skills – essential for addressing sustainability challenges – cannot simply be transmitted through traditional lectures. “These skills must be acquired through experiential, reflective, and transformative learning paths,” emphasizes Dr. Guraziu. The effectiveness of these methodologies increases significantly when students work on case studies from real work contexts, rather than on theoretical examples developed by professors.
Project Management as a Catalyst for Change
Projects represent the main tool through which structural changes are introduced in organizations. To ensure that these changes produce concrete results and significant value, project management skills become indispensable.
“We can define project management as the discipline through which we transform ideas into concrete value, thanks to planning, delegation, monitoring, control, and communication,” states Dr. Guraziu, in her reflection presented on behalf of OpenCom. This approach creates an interdisciplinary learning environment where the human element is essential for success.
A Rapidly Growing Professional Profile
It is no coincidence that the World Economic Forum, in its “Future of Jobs 2023” report, identified project management as one of the fastest-growing professions, ranking it 26th among 106 analyzed professions. The role of project manager emerges among the six key figures for business transformation in 27 countries, ranking first in South Korea and Malaysia, and second in Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, and Turkey.
The profession is considered fundamental in eight out of nine regions globally and in numerous sectors, from advanced manufacturing to education, from electronics to healthcare, to the public and non-governmental sectors.
A New Educational Paradigm
Integrating project management methodologies into educational pathways represents an effective strategy to help students acquire those transversal skills that support a sustainability-oriented mindset.
“First as aware citizens, then as sustainable entrepreneurs, students must be able to produce a significant impact,” Dr. Guraziu states in her presentation for OpenCom, emphasizing the importance of using key performance indicators (KPIs) as tools to measure success, learn from failures, and promote knowledge management and continuous improvement.
Communities of Practice and Open Innovation
A particularly relevant aspect that emerged during Dr. Guraziu’s reflection is the concept of projects as “communities of practice,” where people learn from one another. This model proves particularly effective in the context of open innovation, where knowledge sharing among stakeholders and researchers becomes fundamental.
The approach requires rethinking traditional teaching methods, with a necessary recontextualization of learning from the business world to academia, allowing students to develop what has been defined as a “DNA mindset of sustainability.”
As global challenges become increasingly complex, this new educational paradigm that integrates project management and sustainability could represent the key to preparing new generations to lead a significant and lasting transformation toward a more sustainable future.
