Defining key competences for a master program on climate change and restoration of degraded land

Erasmus 2009 - 2013 is a cooperation and mobility program in the field of higher education that aims to enhance the quality of European higher education -Lifelong Learning Programme- and funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). In 2012 it was proposed a training program (Master Degree level), designing and delivering by a consortium of higher education institutions from five European countries (UK, Spain, Estonia, Rumania, and Hungary), related to Climate Change and the Restoration of Degraded Lands. The Technical University of Madrid (UPM), the promoter of this project, has identified a clear lack of educational provision regarding Climate Change, Degraded Land and its Restoration, in both educational and non-educational settings. On this matter, it is relevance to lifelong learning, do not limit to assessing students’ curricular and cross-curricular competences but also asks them to report on their own motivation to learn, beliefs about themselves and learning strategies; based on this, it is important to define the key competences involved. Defining such competencies can improve assessments of how well prepared students are, as well as identify overarching goals for education systems and lifelong learning. To identify the key competences for this Master, surveys were conducted in Hungary, Estonia, Spain, Romania and the United Kingdom in order to collect answers from all the beneficiaries and stakeholders implicated in climate change and degraded land, involving university lecturers, practitioners, local authorities and natural disaster management authorities. According to the results, the “Ability to apply knowledge to practice”, “Ability to work in a team” and “Planning and management abilities” are the most important key competences for the respondents