Sustainable Development Goals Implementation Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Sustainability and CSR Managers, HSE Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-SC-030

Before you join: Participants should have basic familiarity with their organisation’s operations, stakeholders and existing sustainability, CSR, HSE, ESG or development commitments.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Organisations are increasingly expected to show how their operations, products, investments and supply chains contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The challenge is converting 17 global goals and 169 targets into a focused business agenda that addresses material impacts, regulatory expectations, stakeholder concerns and commercial priorities. Vague commitments, disconnected CSR projects and unsupported claims can create reputational, operational and reporting risks.

This course equips participants to translate the SDGs into practical strategy, governance, targets, programmes and performance measures. Participants assess positive and negative impacts, prioritise relevant SDGs, map stakeholders and value-chain issues, set measurable objectives, and connect sustainability initiatives with business functions. The course addresses environmental, social and governance topics including climate action, resource use, labour conditions, health and safety, human rights, community impacts and responsible procurement.

Teaching combines focused instructor briefings, sector cases, group analysis, reporting reviews, decision simulations and structured application planning. Cases reflect issues faced by banks, public bodies, manufacturers, extractives, infrastructure providers, healthcare organisations and NGOs. Participants leave with an SDG implementation pack containing a materiality-based priority assessment, stakeholder map, target framework, implementation roadmap, KPI scorecard and reporting checklist suitable for adaptation to their employer.

The course is suited to professionals responsible for sustainability, CSR, HSE, ESG reporting, risk, procurement, operations, strategy or public-sector development programmes. It is also relevant to managers who must convert sustainability commitments into accountable departmental actions.

What you will be able to do

  • Interpret SDG targets and indicators for business, public-sector and NGO decisions
  • Conduct an SDG priority assessment using materiality, impact and stakeholder evidence
  • Map value-chain impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities against relevant SDGs
  • Develop measurable SDG objectives using baselines, targets, owners and deadlines
  • Apply the SDG Compass to structure strategy, implementation and reporting actions
  • Design governance arrangements for cross-functional SDG implementation programmes
  • Build an SDG KPI scorecard linked to recognised reporting indicators
  • Produce a practical SDG implementation roadmap for a defined organisational context

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Translate SDG language into credible business and programme actions
  • Lead evidence-based conversations on sustainability priorities and trade-offs
  • Prepare measurable SDG targets rather than broad public commitments
  • Assess supplier, workforce and community impacts with structured methods
  • Build a practical implementation roadmap for immediate workplace use

For your organisation

  • Focus sustainability investment on material impacts and priority SDG contributions
  • Improve accountability through named owners, milestones, KPIs and governance forums
  • Reduce unsupported sustainability claims through evidence-based reporting processes
  • Identify value-chain risks involving labour, environment, safety and human rights
  • Create consistent links between corporate strategy, CSR programmes and ESG disclosures

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can interpret the SDGs as operational responsibilities, risks and business opportunities.

  • The 2030 Agenda, 17 SDGs and 169 targets explained
  • Business responsibility under the UN Global Compact Ten Principles
  • Direct, indirect and induced impacts across organisational value chains
  • Positive contribution versus harm avoidance in SDG decision-making
  • Shared value, risk reduction and licence-to-operate considerations
  • Reading SDG targets as policy, operational and reporting requirements

Participants can identify and rank SDG priorities using evidence-based assessment criteria.

  • Double materiality distinguishes organisational impacts from financial sustainability effects
  • Impact materiality assessed through scale, scope, irremediability and likelihood
  • Financial materiality assessed through risks, opportunities and enterprise value
  • Materiality matrices tested against stakeholder evidence and strategic objectives
  • SDG target mapping links material issues with relevant global targets
  • Priority scoring criteria document assumptions, evidence sources and limitations

Participants can map affected stakeholders and address human rights considerations in SDG plans.

  • Stakeholder mapping identifies affected groups, rights-holders and decision-makers
  • Power-interest grids distinguish influence, dependency and engagement priorities
  • UN Guiding Principles frame human rights due diligence responsibilities
  • Salient human rights issues ranked by severity and likelihood
  • Grievance mechanisms assessed for accessibility, trust and remedy
  • Community impact assessments connect projects with SDG outcomes

Participants can convert priority SDGs into strategic objectives and measurable targets.

  • SDG Compass five-step process structures organisational SDG strategy
  • Theory of Change links activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts
  • SMART targets defined using baselines, thresholds, owners and deadlines
  • Science-based target principles applied to climate-related SDG commitments
  • Outcome indicators distinguish activity volume from real-world change
  • Target cascades connect corporate ambitions with departmental accountabilities

Participants can establish governance structures and controls for SDG implementation.

  • Board oversight defines mandate, scrutiny and escalation responsibilities
  • RACI matrices assign accountable owners for each SDG initiative
  • Sustainability policies establish commitments, boundaries and minimum requirements
  • Cross-functional steering groups coordinate finance, operations, HR and procurement
  • Implementation registers track milestones, dependencies, costs and decisions
  • Risk registers connect SDG delivery barriers with treatment actions

Participants can plan environmental actions linked to climate, resource and ecosystem SDGs.

  • GHG Protocol scopes identify operational and value-chain emission sources
  • Energy management actions support SDG 7 and SDG 13 targets
  • Water stewardship maps withdrawals, discharges, quality and local scarcity
  • Circular economy principles address materials, waste prevention and recovery
  • Biodiversity impact screening identifies site, sourcing and restoration priorities
  • ISO 14001 controls connect environmental aspects with operational procedures

Participants can address workforce, health, safety, inclusion and community SDG commitments.

  • ILO fundamental principles guide labour rights and fair work practices
  • Occupational health and safety indicators support SDG 3 performance
  • ISO 45001 risk controls address hazards, incidents and worker participation
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion metrics identify workforce representation gaps
  • Living wage assessments distinguish legal compliance from adequate income
  • Community investment plans define outcomes beyond charitable expenditure

Participants can integrate SDG criteria into supplier selection, monitoring and improvement plans.

  • Supplier segmentation identifies high-risk categories, locations and purchasing dependencies
  • OECD due diligence steps structure supply-chain risk management
  • Supplier codes define labour, environmental, ethics and safety expectations
  • Contract clauses specify data, audit access and corrective-action requirements
  • Supplier scorecards combine price, quality, emissions and social performance
  • Corrective-action plans address root causes, deadlines and verification evidence

Participants can select SDG indicators and prepare credible performance disclosures.

  • KPI dictionaries define metrics, formulas, boundaries, sources and owners
  • GRI Standards identify topic-specific disclosures and reporting evidence
  • SDG indicators aligned with organisational KPIs and target baselines
  • Data quality checks test completeness, accuracy, timeliness and traceability
  • Assurance readiness files retain calculations, source records and approvals
  • Green claims reviewed for substantiation, balance and material omissions

Participants can prepare a funded, credible and accountable SDG implementation plan.

  • Business cases compare costs, benefits, risks and strategic contribution
  • Internal carbon pricing informs investment appraisal and emissions decisions
  • Sustainability budgets allocate resources across owners, milestones and controls
  • Stakeholder communications distinguish commitments, progress, setbacks and future actions
  • Change management plans address resistance, capability gaps and adoption barriers
  • Ninety-day action plans sequence priority decisions and early deliverables

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. SDG materiality and priority assessment template
  2. Stakeholder and rights-holder mapping model
  3. SDG target-setting and KPI scorecard template
  4. Cross-functional SDG governance RACI matrix
  5. Responsible supply-chain due diligence checklist
  6. Ninety-day SDG implementation roadmap

Who should attend

  • Sustainability and CSR Managers — need to convert commitments into managed programmes
  • HSE Managers — connect environmental and safety performance with SDG targets
  • ESG and Reporting Specialists — require defensible indicators and disclosure evidence
  • Procurement and Supply Chain Managers — address supplier impacts and responsible sourcing
  • Strategy and Risk Managers — integrate SDG risks and opportunities into planning
  • Public-Sector and NGO Programme Managers — align development initiatives with SDG outcomes

Skills and tools covered

SDG prioritisationMateriality assessmentStakeholder mappingSustainability target settingESG performance measurementImplementation roadmapping

Tools and standards

SDG Compass, GRI Standards, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish concepts, standards and decision criteria, followed by sector-based case work and facilitated group analysis. Participants practise priority setting, stakeholder mapping, target design, governance decisions and KPI selection using realistic organisational information. Reporting extracts and sustainability claims are reviewed against recognised frameworks. Simulations test trade-offs between financial, environmental and social priorities. Each participant builds an application plan and receives feedback on adapting course templates to their role.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have basic familiarity with their organisation’s operations, stakeholders and existing sustainability, CSR, HSE, ESG or development commitments. Experience in management, reporting, procurement, risk, operations or programme delivery is useful because the course uses organisational examples and implementation decisions. Participants do not need prior formal sustainability training, environmental science qualifications, reporting-assurance experience or detailed knowledge of every SDG target. A willingness to work with performance data, stakeholder concerns and cross-functional responsibilities is expected.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You need a basic understanding of your organisation’s activities, stakeholders and current sustainability or CSR commitments. Prior knowledge of the SDGs, ESG reporting or formal environmental management systems is not required.

Bring examples of your organisation’s sustainability commitments, annual report, HSE data, supplier requirements or CSR programme if these can be shared appropriately. You may also bring a current business issue that needs an SDG-based plan.

It suits sustainability, CSR, HSE, ESG, procurement, operations, strategy, risk and programme professionals. It is designed for people who need to implement or manage SDG-related work rather than only understand the UN framework.

This course starts with organisational priorities and turns them into strategy, governance, programmes and measures across environmental and social topics. ESG reporting and carbon accounting are addressed as implementation and disclosure components, not as the sole focus.

You will leave with templates for prioritisation, target setting, governance, supply-chain due diligence and performance measurement. These can be adapted to a business unit, site, public programme, investment portfolio or corporate sustainability plan.

The programme provides approximately 32.5 contact hours, normally delivered from 08:30 to 16:30 each day. Time is divided between instructor input, case analysis, group work, simulations, reporting reviews and development of an individual application plan.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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