Imagine a university team designing a system to reduce energy use in a campus building. The technical concept looks promising, yet nobody has worked out who will use the information, how decisions will be made or who will keep the system running. For the twin green and digital transition, those questions belong at the start—not after the technology is ready. What skills help turn a promising solution into something people can actually use?
Three perspectives on one problem
GreenTech Horizons builds its educational approach around a talent triangle: green skills of the future, digital skills of the future and business acumen. Its project design connects these areas to support higher education and workforce development in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Consider the campus example. The green perspective asks what environmental problem needs attention and what an improvement would look like. The digital perspective examines what information is needed, how to interpret it and whether a particular tool is suitable. The business perspective asks how the proposed change will work within the institution.
Remove one perspective and an important question remains unanswered. A dashboard alone does not decide what action to take. An environmental ambition alone does not establish an implementation plan. A budget alone does not demonstrate an environmental benefit.
The useful skill is connecting these questions before committing to a solution.
Business acumen is not only about profit
“Business acumen” can sound remote from a classroom, laboratory or university sustainability team. Here, think of it as understanding how an organisation makes decisions, uses resources and creates value.
For the campus team, that means identifying the people affected by a change. Facilities staff may need information they can act on. Lecturers may want assurance that teaching will not be disrupted. Whoever manages the budget will need to understand both the initial effort and the continuing responsibilities.
These perspectives do not have to compete. They can help shape a more workable proposal.
For example, the team could compare a small trial in one building with an immediate campus-wide launch. It could identify what needs testing before expansion and explain which assumptions remain uncertain. It could also consider a simpler change to existing routines rather than assume that new technology is the answer.
That is business thinking in service of a sustainability objective.
Practise making a decision, not just describing a technology
Educators can make the connection concrete by asking learners to produce a short decision brief. Instead of presenting only what their proposed technology does, students would address three questions:
- What should improve? Describe the problem, the starting situation and the evidence needed to judge progress.
- What would make the change workable? Identify users, responsibilities, resource needs and possible obstacles.
- Why this approach? Compare a realistic alternative and explain the trade-offs.
The exercise need not require a complex business plan. A clearly argued page can reveal whether a learner has connected environmental purpose, digital capability and organisational reality.
A useful follow-up is to change one condition. Suppose the intended users have less time than expected, or the available data cannot support the original analysis. How would the proposal change?
The point is not to reward the most confident pitch. It is to practise revising a decision when the evidence or circumstances change.
Develop complementary strengths
Connecting the three areas does not mean expecting every student to become an environmental scientist, software developer and business specialist.
An engineering student might practise explaining technical choices to a non-specialist audience. A management student might learn to question the environmental assumptions behind a proposal. A digitally confident learner might focus on identifying who will use an analysis and what decision it should support.
A team exercise could assign these perspectives to different members, then ask them to agree on one recommendation. Each learner should explain their contribution and identify where another person’s expertise was needed.
From European Academy’s perspective, this is a practical way to think about skills development: not simply adding more topics, but helping people use their knowledge together. It also reflects the connection between green, digital and business competencies at the heart of GreenTech Horizons.
Start with your next idea
A promising green solution needs more than a technical explanation. It needs a clear purpose, appropriate information and a workable route into practice.
Take an idea from your studies or workplace and examine it through all three perspectives. Which question is hardest to answer—and whose expertise would help you answer it? Use that gap to identify your next learning goal, and explore GreenTech Horizons’ approach to connected competencies.
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Alexia Voutsina, Project & Business Development Manager, European Academy
Alexia Voutsina is a Project and Business Development Manager at European Academy, working at the intersection of EU-funded projects, professional training and international cooperation. She holds an MBA from European University Cyprus, complementing her academic background in Educational Sciences and Special Education. Her work focuses on translating ideas into practical learning experiences that strengthen skills, promote sustainability and support meaningful professional growth.
