Ana Castaneda
Founder of Circular Universities

I'm responsible for competency-based training projects on sustainability and eco-entrepreneurship. With expertise in Participative Research, Systems Thinking, Life Cycle Thinking, Creative Innovation, and Facilitation Leadership, my work and studies are focused on Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production. I completed my master's research on behavioural change towards sustainable actions, focusing on universities and circular economy. It's clear that content at institutions isn’t meeting the demanded skills in the green industry, and this is affecting unemployment amongst young people. In 2020 there was an increase of over 120% in youth unemployment in the UK. Circular Universities gives students, teachers and local enterprises the needed support and traineeship in green competences. How do we close this gap? Through an interactive community educational hub where beneficiaries get empowered and ready to tackle the challenges of a fast-changing environment in the green industry.