Building major competencies for enhancing higher education for sustainable development

Abstract

This paper focuses on the specifics and preconditions for building major competencies that are envisaged for enhancing higher education for sustainable development (ESD). It looks into the professional development of specialists in higher education, factors affecting individual stages of professional development of these specialists, as well as into the role of the environment in their professional development. Furthermore, it studies the formal and informal learning as the important setting leading to the creation of the major competencies for linking globalization, complexity and environmental responsibility and channelling them to students through the teaching process in higher education.