Constant change and stress in the workplace require workers with resilience. Universities have a key role to play in developing this vital capability. Past research has measured levels of university student resilience, but little is known about resilience from the learner’s perspective. This semi-structured interview study of 38 undergraduate and postgraduate students gives voice to the students’ own understanding of resilience, strategies which they use to develop their resilience, and how universities can support the development of student resilience. Thematic analysis revealed that students differed in the way they conceptualised resilience according to their year of study and life experience. Maintaining perspective, staying healthy, and developing support networks were identified as key attributes linked to resilience. Findings provide insights into the resilience needs and capabilities of the learning community, and suggest strategies which universities can implement to support resilience development.

Purpose: This paper seeks to report research undertaken to assess the extent to which Australian universities were engaged in professional development (PD) activities focusing on the development of education for sustainability for their academics.Design/methodology/approach: This web‐based survey seeks to identify the existence of PD programs and teaching induction programs within universities, or where programs in tertiary teaching that included any sustainability education content were offered.Findings: While the vast majority of universities had information about PD available, only one offers a PD course designed to introduce academics to sustainability and teaching sustainability. This is despite the high number of Australian universities that have signed sustainability education declarations, which include commitments to achieving sustainability literacy in staff and students.Research limitations/implications: The survey focused only on information contained on web sites, and information that would not have been identified by this methodology such as informal programs, forums and workshops, and anything on secure staff “intranet” sites.Practical implications: This research indicates that in Australia there is only very limited PD activity, which provides one explanation for the limited extent to which education for sustainability is evident in universities.Originality/value: There is little information about PD activity in universities generally, and especially in Australia. This research provides a starting‐point investigation into activity that may have been missed by the research. More importantly, it provides a base for the exploration of PD programs that will be the most effective and efficient in facilitating education for sustainability.

Resilience is positively linked to academic engagement and achievement, and contributes to students’ mental health and wellbeing. Research was undertaken to measure the resilience of students undertaking studies in the built environment, identify the factors which contribute to high or low levels of student resilience and explore the relationship between resilience and wellbeing. Survey data were collected from 410 undergraduate students from Melbourne, Australia. Results identified that of the six components of resilience, students scored highest on building networks, staying healthy, interacting cooperatively and living authentically, and lowest in maintaining perspective. Experience, university policy and the interaction between the university, work and home environments was found to contribute to student resilience. Results also identified that resilience is an antecedent of student wellbeing. A conceptual model of resilience and student wellbeing is presented which draws on the ecological systems model. Universities can actively support student wellbeing by fostering resilience. Resilience can be developed by embedding resilience-building strategies within course structures, learning activities and assessment tasks. Universities can implement policies and procedures and offer assets and resources which create a learning environment that supports resilience-building behaviour.

While measures of resilience have been applied in university settings, progress has been hindered by the lack of a consistent measure of resilience. Additionally, results from these measures cannot be easily translated into practical curriculum-based initiatives which support resilience development. Resilience is linked to student mental health and well-being, as well as academic engagement and achievement. This positions resilience as a key skill for students. A survey was administered to 410 Australian undergraduate students. The survey consisted of an adapted version of the Resilience at Work (RAW) scale, the Subjective Happiness Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Data were subject to principal component analysis and scale reliability analysis. Results yielded a six-factor structure which closely replicated the seven-factor structure of the RAW scale. The research contributes to the development of a reliable and valid instrument of resilience for use in university. The new Resilience at University (RAU) scale shows promise as a valid and reliable measure of student resilience. Development and validation of the RAU scale is in its early stages and further research is required to explore the psychometric properties of the scale to ascertain whether it can be usefully applied in a university setting.

Education for sustainability (EfS) is emerging as an urgent imperative and challenge for higher education. But what exactly does it mean to put sustainability into higher education? How do we bring sustainability themes into university curriculum, across the enormous diversity of academic disciplines? This paper describes the experience of teaching a large ‘stand‐alone’ EfS subject which sits within the professional contexts of the large first‐year cohort undertaking it. We describe the themes, architecture and approach to sustainability education taken in this course and evaluate the learning and assessment activities offered to students. We conclude with reflections on the student experience and feedback, which suggests that while academics build towards a deeply embedded sustainability ethic in higher education, specialist parallel courses have a valuable role to play in the transition to sustainable futures.

Despite the increasing number of women studying built environment degrees in higher education, the construction industry has not seen an increase in the percentage of female professionals. Women’s experiences in the early stages of their career have a critical influence on their future career intentions, including leaving the industry. This study was motivated to explore the transition experiences from university into work for early career female professionals working in the Australian construction industry. Nineteen interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data which was thematically analysed. Findings indicate that women are primarily driven by an intrinsic motivation to pursue construction careers. Women have both positive and negative experiences during their transition processes. The positive transition experiences are attributed to supportive and respectful relationships with colleagues and the availability of and access to structured graduate or cadetship training programs. Regarding negative experiences, findings suggest that apart from common challenges associated with transition for all entrants, women must contend with additional gender-based challenges. Many participants intend to stay in construction for the next five years but have concerns about the possibility of combining work and family when they decide to have children and how their careers might be affected. The research provides important practical implications for construction organizations in terms of improving women’s transition experience into the industry, maintaining their interest in construction careers and enhancing subsequent retention.