Empowering Change-Makers in Sustainability with (May) Rada Jutrakul
(May) Rada Jutrakul is the program manager for the “Sustainability Change Leadership” UpSkill course, a dynamic addition to Hyper Island’s education offerings. We sat down with her to explore her journey to Hyper Island, understand the personal significance of managing this course, and gain insights into her vision for sustainability as a crucial topic in education’s future.
May’s journey with this program began when she applied for her position two years ago. Hyper Island’s mission to nurture change-makers immediately resonated with her. Yet, she pondered the mission’s implications: what does it truly mean to educate change-makers? Is it about instilling teamwork, leadership, self-leadership, and collaboration, or do we aim for them to lead substantial transformations?
Prior to joining Hyper Island, May completed a program called Master of Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability (MSLS) in Karlskrona. This experience underscored the significance of aligning personal purpose with making a positive impact. Upon encountering Hyper Island’s mission, May recognized her desire to help individuals uncover their paths, and find their passion while feeling purposeful and inspired to create a positive impact in the community they are in.
Her journey with Hyper Island marked a significant step toward fulfilling her purpose. The institution’s vision was bold, and they possessed numerous tools to support learners (it’s true, we have an amazing HI toolbox if you haven’t seen it). Yet, May sensed the need for a clearer identification of the change they aimed to inspire in their learners.
Iñaki: Why is the course called ”Sustainability Change Leadership”?
May: In today’s world, I firmly believe that education should go beyond self-leadership skills and encompass a broader systems perspective. Individuals need not only the ability to navigate their own lives but also the capacity to make a significant impact on their community, society, and the world.
What if instead of merely creating change leaders without knowing what change we want to create, our goal is to create industry leaders to drive sustainable change within different sectors to accommodate our future generations?
This shift aligns better with our intention to empower individuals to be effective leaders in various industries and make a substantial difference in their professional fields. We shouldn’t lower our ambitions but rather clearly define our objectives. This is why I’m enthusiastic about our new offering, the Sustainability Change Leadership upskill course, which boldly states our commitment to nurturing individuals who will drive change in the sustainability sector.
Iñaki: Are sustainability skills more in demand than ever?
May: Currently, Hyper Island strongly advocates for sustainability in all the courses and programs we’re applying for. The challenge is defining what sustainability means and how it fits. Is it only related to ethical dilemmas in business areas or accessibility when it comes to design and tech development, or does it go beyond these aspects? As a program manager, it’s our responsibility to address these questions. Industry experts may possess the answers, but they might also lack them.
This is where our role comes into play: advocating for these considerations to foster long-term collaboration and create a ripple effect.
In this manner, YH exerts pressure on the YH School systems, and we should maintain this influence to drive meaningful change. This alignment feeds well into our system and also follows our vision of creating change leaders.
Hyper Island is well-known for equipping our learners with collaboration and leadership skills, and fostering bold prototyping and innovation. However, there is room for improvement in ensuring that our learners comprehend the purpose behind these skills.
Innovation, for example, should extend beyond personal profit, to also benefit our current society, planet, and future generations. This necessitates adopting a more systemic view of their future work and its broader impact. While the ethical modules across programs and courses at Hyper Island are a good starting point, sustainability should form the core of our mindset.
Take, for example, our upskill program titled “Business Developer Upskill Program with a focus on Sustainability and Digitalization.” Having been involved in the course, I recognize its foundation in sustainability principles.
However, my preference is not to view “sustainability” as a separate, standalone topic but rather as an integrated and essential component of Business Development.
Perhaps a suitable name for it could be the “Sustainable Business Development” Upskill Course. I have a strong desire for us to introduce more specialized programs moving forward. Currently, we offer a six-month online, part-time course with three pillars under sustainability, change, and leadership, just as reflected in the course name. This covers topics ranging from change management to understanding the science of sustainability and personal-development and leading in complexity.
This is a great start, however, we still need to move forward and expand our offers through courses that can also build more specific complementing capacities and skills needed for a sustainable transition such as Sustainable Supply Chain Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager, or Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies as an example.
Iñaki: Tell us more details about the course you are managing.
May: “The Sustainability Change Leadership” UpSkill course is quite foundational, covering fundamental knowledge and developing certain skills needed within this area of work. When discussing this program, I often emphasize its goal, which is to establish a foundational understanding of the work that is needed and a broad understanding of the complex system and what tools, approaches, and ways of thinking are needed in different settings.
We support our learnings by exploring more in-depth areas that interest them through a hands-on project for them to experience (the way we learn at Hyper Island ). The course is not about supporting learners to master specific tools; instead, it’s about exposure and being able to strategically navigate complex systems and have the language and mental model to understand the issue of our unsustainable world and be able to lead companies, organizations, communities, and society with empathy, resilience, understanding and be able to strategically lead them towards a more sustainable future.
Our participants will also be aware of the current EU regulations now putting demands on different sectors. Through a real business case, they will choose areas for further specialization and explore the tools necessary for that specific case. Additionally, they’ll learn how to effectively communicate their work through the module called Communicating Sustainability and Change which the participants will get to develop a communication strategy for the business case they worked on.
Finally, we offer a module titled “Leading in Complexity,” in which we focus on equipping students with what I prefer to call “hard skills.” These skills are often misconstrued as soft skills, especially in the field of sustainability. I refer to them as “hard skills” in this context because they represent the essential “human skills” required. Without these skills, no research, models, approaches, or regulations can be effectively applied. This is because we, as human beings, engage in development work for and with other humans.
If we fail to collaborate and find solutions that incorporate a systems perspective, diverse contexts and challenges, and the power of collective innovation, the ongoing challenges we face will remain insurmountable.
Iñaki: What opportunities do you see in the market when it comes to sustainability skill set?
May: As a YH educational institution (vocational school), it’s crucial to meet the demands of the current market within the specific sector that aligns with the courses/programs we offer. However, I envision that the Sustainability Change Leadership course (SCL) will encompass and serve various industries, including those for which we have existing programs and courses. This expansion aligns with the increasing demand for sustainability practitioners across sectors in today’s society.
Therefore, launching this SCL course is a step towards fostering comprehensive learning experiences within a six-month timeframe. It empowers students and broadens their horizons, allowing them to deepen their expertise in sustainability throughout the course. This approach transforms their knowledge into versatile, comb-shaped skills, and in the rapidly changing and complex world, it might even evolve into a star-shaped skillset. We want students to be capable of driving specific agendas and actions into different sectors for sustainable change.
Iñaki: Is there a sense of urgency in your message?
May: I believe this is a pivotal moment, perhaps even our last opportunity for change. People from various industries and sectors are increasingly recognizing the undeniable necessity of incorporating sustainability agendas into their organization’s vision and mission. Whether this realization stems from a deep intrinsic understanding, regulatory pressure, or a strategic move to enhance market positioning, the shift is palpable.
While I reside in Sweden and have observed these transformations firsthand, I am fully aware of the global responsibility that lies with countries possessing greater resources and capabilities. One of the responsibilities that Hyper Island aims to undertake is to provide the best possible knowledge and skills through this learning offering.
Our objective is to respond to the call for what is not only required by the market but also by the world we inhabit.
Addressing issues within diverse global systems can be challenging, but even taking small steps to confront complexity within different contexts can have a substantial impact. This is the message I hope to convey through our course. We must employ a strategic approach to leverage our resources for effecting global change while ensuring our sustainability. Hyper Island, at its core, is dedicated to shaping change-makers, and this is our mission.
Iñaki: Are you working on any other exciting projects right now? Can you give us a sneak peek?
May: Sure! One of the projects I’m currently involved in has the support of several team members, and its focus is on facilitating the development of entrepreneurship skills among our Hyper Island learners. This initiative stems from the very essence of what we represent, and it naturally led us to evaluate our effectiveness as an educational institution in nurturing individuals into entrepreneurs, particularly those with an intrapreneurial mindset. Of course, sustainability should also be the foundation, and basic knowledge in understanding the impact their business ideas can have is the awareness we definitely need to ensure that our learners have at the core.
In the past few months, we initiated a new program known as the Intrapreneurial Track, starting with a test round. This track is designed to assist students from various programs who share a common project. Together, they collaborate to bring their project ideas to life during their internship period. Instead of pursuing a traditional internship with a company, they concentrate on their entrepreneurial ventures. We’ve already conducted a successful pilot of this program with three students, yielding promising results. Our intention is to formalize this initiative and potentially extend its availability across all our programs.
Thank you, May, your passion for change and sustainable knowledge is contagious and inspiring.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to become a change-maker in sustainability. Sign up for the Sustainability Change Leadership UpSkill course!
