Strategic educational cooperation between ZNU and MittelstandsCampus NRW

"The German SME sector is facing the biggest change in its history. As part of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, we are supporting this transformation and thus the future viability of companies in NRW. Sustainability plays a key role in this. We are delighted to have gained a partner with proven expertise from our immediate neighbourhood in the ZNU," says Anja Steinbeck, Head of the MittelstandsCampus NRW. The founders and directors of the Centre for Sustainable Leadership at Witten/Herdecke University (ZNU), Dr Axel Kölle and Dr Christian Geßner, are also enthusiastic about the partnership, "as it enables us to make our academically sound approaches available to a broader group of users via the highly professional educational platform of the MittelstandsCampus NRW - a win-win situation for everyone involved".

The MittelstandsCampus NRW supports regional SMEs in the upcoming and important "green", digital and cultural transformation. "Empowering people and developing skills is the basis for being able to address the major issues," says Christian Overhage, Project Manager of the MittelstandsCampus NRW. The ZNU offers specific modules for this, such as systematic further training to become sustainability managers or the ZNU Standard for Sustainable Management, a management system that provides companies and their employees with concrete support in the development, implementation and communication of their sustainability activities and can also be certified by TÜV, DEKRA and other independent bodies.

Sustainability is increasingly in demand

"Companies, especially in the SME sector, are facing immense challenges to make themselves more sustainable. Many sustainability issues are increasingly being demanded - also from a regulatory perspective. Keywords such as the Supply Chain Sustainability Act, packaging regulations, climate protection and reporting obligations (CSRD) are topics that companies (have to) deal with," says Dr Axel Kölle. "With this seminar, we want to offer a structured approach to make sustainability feasible and measurable. We offer a tried-and-tested mix of in-depth specialist presentations and group work to specifically analyse and process sustainability opportunities and risks. The aim is to enable the participants to carry out the various steps of the materiality analysis in their own company and to drive forward the learning process of sustainable management," explains Mirjam Alo, head of the seminars.

"The educational cooperation offers intensive training programmes to provide orientation and assistance and also to make the criteria of an ESG examination manageable when granting loans," emphasises Anja Steinbeck from the MittelstandsCampus NRW.

The first cooperation approaches are three specific, multi-day training courses to become a sustainability manager and the organisation of the XIV ZNU Future Conference on 4 & 5 May 2023. Participants can expect an attractive programme with exciting impulses from industry, finance and NGOs on the topic of "Climate neutral? Sustainable? - Together! Do it!" Day 1 will focus on parallel workshops on holistic climate protection, while day 2 will provide insights into the successful implementation of corporate sustainability and the communication challenges. Inspiring lectures will be given by Markus Aretz (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Dr Antje von Dewitz (VAUDE), Jan Rinnert (Heraeus Group) and Dr Rainer Münker (Wettbewerbszentrale), among others.

The strategic partnership between the two parties is geared towards the long term.