The ecological transition is also taking shape within workplaces. At theUniversité Grenoble Alpes, this conviction has been reflected since 2022 in a training program designed to support staff in the practical implementation of the ecological transition within their organizations.

This initiative has just been recognized by the 2026 Talents for the Planet Awards, organized by AEF News, which promote training, cultural adaptation, and professional development initiatives that help build the public’s expertise on issues of sustainable development and social responsibility.

A training program to move from strategy to action

Titled “Implementing a CSR Initiative in a Work Group,” the training is intended for UGA executives and TREC (Ecological Transformation) coordinators.

His goal is practical: to provide them with a method for working with their teams to develop an action plan tailored to their work group and activities, while ensuring that it aligns with the institution’s ecological transformation strategy.

The training program thus lies at the intersection of ecological transformation and human resources. Supporting staff in changing their practices is, in fact, a key focus of UGA’s ecological transformation initiative.

Rather than limiting the training to the transfer of knowledge, the program aims to enable participants to put themselves in real-world situations and directly develop the initial steps of their approach.

Conferences and workshops to develop action plans

The program combines interactive lectures with small-group collective intelligence workshops. These sessions allow participants to share their challenges, apply what they’ve learned in the training, and, above all, collectively develop an action plan. This approach places teams at the heart of the transformation: the goal is to identify actions that are tailored to the specific realities and needs of each organization.

Since the training program was launched in 2022, 150 UGA staff members have completed this nearly 11-hour training course.
Originally intended for supervisory staff in the central services, departments, and laboratories, the training was subsequently opened up to TREC coordinators working in the institution’s various units.

Training those who are driving ecological transformation

The goal of this training program is to develop staff who can lead and support teams working on ecological transformation.

The approach is based on a simple idea: ecological transformation cannot be achieved solely through an institutional strategy. It also requires skills, methods, and the ability to engage workgroups. By enabling managers and TREC coordinators to leave with a method for developing a collaboratively designed action plan, the UGA seeks to embed the transition into the daily practices of the units that make up the university.

UGA Recognized Among 45 Nominees

For this fourth edition of the Talents for the Planet Awards, 45 companies, training organizations, associations, local governments, and higher education institutions submitted applications. Sixteen organizations were ultimately selected for the finals, divided into three main categories: “Training,” “Organizations,” and “General Public,” each with two levels: “Acculturation” and “Professionalization.”

UGA was among the finalists in the “Training – Professional Development” category, alongside the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Simplon.co, Polytech Sorbonne, and Neoma Business School, among others. The award received by theUniversité Grenoble Alpes thus recognizes not only a training program but also an approach aimed at gradually building the skills of the staff who are helping to drive ecological transformation within the institution.

Recognition for the dedicated teams and staff

This award recognizes not only the work carried out over the past several years by the teams that design and deliver this training program, but also the dedication of the staff who participate in it.

Beyond the award itself, this recognition highlights an approach to ecological transformation based on training, cooperation, and taking action. At UGA, the ecological transition thus also depends on each individual’s ability to understand the issues at stake, to mobilize a community, and to translate this knowledge into concrete actions within their work environment.