Features of the Higher Education for the Circular Economy: The Case of Italy

Ilaria Giannoccaro, Gaia Ceccarelli and Luca Fraccascia
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Ilaria Giannoccaro: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics, and Management, Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Gaia Ceccarelli: Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering “Antonio Ruberti”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Luca Fraccascia: Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering “Antonio Ruberti”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-25

Abstract: The higher education system plays a critical role in supporting the transition towards a circular economy (CE). It helps create business leaders and policymakers having appropriate skills, competences, and consciousness referring to the CE challenges. Nevertheless, few studies have specifically investigated how the higher education system is addressing the CE, how the current academic offering is integrating the CE principles, and which skills and competences are currently provided. This paper overcomes these limitations by investigating the current offering of the higher education for the CE in Italy. We analyze the academic programs, courses, and modules at different levels of 49 Italian universities and, by means of a detailed classification of the learning outcomes, provide a clear picture of the knowledge, skills, and competences offered by the CE education. We finally discuss implications of our findings concerning the development of CE education and CE jobs.

Keywords: circular economy; education; learning outcomes; circular economy transition; skills and competences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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