Fostering Risk Management Skills for Future Sustainability Leaders: An Exploration of Project Management Training in Higher Education

The rapid challenges produced by technological innovations, AI, climate change, and global instabilities require "sustainability citizens" to acquire critical thinking and transferable competencies to navigate complexity and boost their lifelong employability. Risk management embodies complex problem-solving, critical thinking, and systems analysis - key components identified by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as crucial for future employability. The study builds on recent research on the connection between learning project management and acquiring transferable skills that foster individuals' employability. Projects are the means by which we introduce and manage change, and uncertainty is embedded in projects. Risk management is a well-known skill in project management discipline and sustainable project management learning. Learning risk management emerges as a transferable competence that allows individuals to address uncertainty and adapt to evolving work environments. This study explored how project management learning can allow higher education students to develop risk management competencies, fostering sustainable employability. The case study research is a 15-hour project management course delivered at the Master of Science in Risk Management at the University of Tirana. It covers topics such as risk management, change management, and human resource management within project organizations. Students' enhanced transferable skills were measured through a self-evaluation questionnaire with self-reflective statements, which was administered before and after the course. Analysis showed considerable progress in students' perceived transferable skills for sustainability: communication and emotional intelligence. Improving risk management skills through project management training has found strong connections with the significant perceived improvement of students' emotional intelligence.
Project management effectively develops risk management competencies if used as an embedded pedagogical device in higher education through experiential and reflective learning approaches. Risk and project management integration enhances students' capability for complex decision-making in uncertain environments. Future research could examine long-term professional outcomes and transferability across diverse educational contexts.

Keywords: Risk management competencies, Project management education, Transferable skills, Sustainable employability, Higher education pedagogy, Experiential learning.