EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY IN THE SECRETARIAT UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

The concept of sustainable development has been used in different contexts since its release in 1987 by the Brundtland Report (also known as Report " Our Common Future") of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). Given that education is a major driver for building a sustainable future, the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to prepare future professionals so they can meet the market demand. This means that subjects focused on sustainable development (SD) must be inserted on the curriculum of the courses. Thus, the aim of this study is to verify if the Secretarial Science undergraduate programs offer subjects that enable the formation of professionals committed to the SD. We conducted a descriptive study that included the sample of 86 bachelor's degree programs in Secretarial Science programs (classroom courses). We concluded that only 26 undergraduate programs, of 23 HEIs, have subjects related to education for sustainable development. This figure shows that the courses analyzed still lack among its aims the training of professionals prepared to the present reality. We can also infer that for the student to reach the professional profile of the Executive Secretary, stated in the curriculum guidelines cited in Resolution no. 3/2005, education focused on sustainable development should be part of the curriculum structure, allowing the professional to have a critical and reflective posture about all aspects of decision- making of the manager he or she is assisting.