Business school and climate change: Romane's work-study example

• Klima School is the first business school 100% dedicated to climate change issues. The goal is to train managers who are competent in climate matters in order to decarbonize the economy.
• Romane Janecki, a work-study student in a business and sustainable development school, shares her interest in combining business fundamentals with the challenges of the climate and environmental transition to understand and take action.
• She demonstrates the career opportunities in the environmental and climate transition by sharing her experience as a work-study project and development manager at Greendeed.
• Greendeed offers sustainable events (seminars, team building, etc.) to companies wishing to undertake a CSR approach. The goal: to reduce their environmental impact and improve employee well-being.

Klima School: The business school for the climate transition

Combining ecology and management in one single school? It’s possible thanks to Klima School, the first business school in France dedicated to business and climate, energy, and CSR issues. Today, traditional business schools do not address climate change or the physical limits of the world that the economy is beginning to face. In figures, 89% of higher education programs in France do not include climate-energy topics in their mandatory curriculum (source). Yet, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and mineral and natural resources are being depleted. The team behind this new business school therefore had the idea to create KLIMA, the new business school that encapsulates the business teachings of a traditional school within the physical limits of the world.

The goal is simple: to decarbonize the economy, make companies and organizations more sustainable, and do better by integrating climate and resource scarcity into the decision-making process. Joseph Hermet, the school's founder, highlights the objective of this climate business school: "We believe it is time to integrate the subject of carbon emissions and the scarcity of natural resources into how traditional management is taught, throughout the entire course of study. Our goal is to help companies and public organizations rethink their business models to make them more sustainable and less threatening to the climate by training their future employees in advance."

Today, Klima School offers a three-year bachelor's degree in business and climate transition and a five-year master's degree that leads to an RNCP-certified diploma as a responsible business engineer. Joining this school is not just about getting a degree; it is first and foremost about giving meaning to your studies by actively participating in having a positive impact on the climate, the economy of tomorrow, and the planet's resources. The opportunities upon graduation allow you to work in any sector, as the climate transition and sustainability are cross-functional topics. It is estimated that 400,000 jobs will be created by 2030, much like the one held by Romane Janecki at Greendeed.

"A manager will need to master best practices related to the climate, and a CSR specialist will not be able to ignore the basics of marketing or business development" - Romane Janecki - work-study Development Manager at Greendeed

Romane Janecki, a work-study student in a business and sustainable development school, shares her testimony and explains why combining business fundamentals with the challenges of the climate and environmental transition is essential to understand and act.

Romane Janecki, a second-year master's student in a business and sustainable development school, was happy to share her thoughts with Klima School. Through her perspective as a student, Romane wants to share her feedback so that future students can more easily envision their future curriculum and career path to take action for the climate:

"I have always been passionate about the environment, climate-related topics, and the issues surrounding them. I therefore decided to join a business school dedicated to climate and sustainable development issues because it offers me a 'dual skill set,' a double curriculum. On one hand, it allows me to obtain a very comprehensive education in management, where I discover the foundations of business, which are essential in the working world. On the other hand, there is the curriculum dedicated to environmental and climate issues, which allows me to understand the current state of affairs and envision myself taking action." Romane adds: "I am convinced that this dual training will facilitate my professional integration. By studying the orders of magnitude of climate and environmental issues, I had an 'ecological wake-up call' and realized that climate issues lead to real careers and allow you to have an impact in your work, provided you are also trained in the basics of management. These are concepts that complement each other and help build a profile that is highly valued in today's job market. A manager will need to master best practices related to the climate, and a CSR specialist will not be able to ignore the basics of marketing or business development."

Romane explains: "Surveys show that climate-related topics remain at the heart of contemporary concerns. Everyone is affected by the climate and environmental emergency. That is why it seemed useful to me to head in this direction, in a business school that could guide me toward a career with impact. By studying in a business school dedicated to climate topics, I feel more like an actor of change toward a more sustainable and virtuous world, especially thanks to the skills I acquired during my training." Finally, Romane adds: "In today's society, which relies largely on fossil fuels, it is more than necessary to train for planetary challenges and make one's future enviable by trying to have an impact at one's own level. In addition to giving you established skills in management and climate change issues, such a business school will provide the opportunity to defend your ideas and embody them on a daily basis by completing a work-study program in a company within a rapidly growing sector."

Business school dedicated to climate issues: career paths and opportunities. As a work-study project manager at Greendeed, Romane explains her role in the fight against climate change.

Romane shares her work-study experience: I am pursuing my master's degree in business and climate issues through a work-study contract with the company Greendeed. Committed to sustainable and climate-conscious development, Greendeed is a company that offers sustainable team-building events (seminars, team building) to corporate clients looking to implement CSR initiatives.

By founding Greendeed, Charlotte Briand wanted to help reduce the environmental impact of businesses and contribute to employee well-being through interactive, sustainability-focused offerings: plant-based workshops, climate frescoes, sports challenges, low-carbon cooking, and more. The goal is to build a lasting, responsible corporate culture, moving away from vague CSR concepts and standardized approaches to sustainable development.

"To find my work-study position, presenting a background in a business school focused on climate change issues was a huge help. It also allowed me to build a network thanks to the school's many guest speakers and the professional events organized by my company. The possibilities are truly numerous and incredible; you meet motivated and kind people," Romane insists. When asked for a final word, Romane emphasizes: "Go for it, dive into careers that address current and future climate challenges. For that, joining a business school dedicated to climate issues is the best choice."