Program Description

CCSL is an interdisciplinary NSERC CREATE (Collaborative Research And Training Experience Program) that provides UVic graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from across campus with the knowledge and skills they need to be tomorrow’s climate solutions leaders. Trainees carry out their research in their home department, with CCSL as value-added technical, experiential, and professional development training to prepare them for the climate action workforce. Post-doctoral fellows may also participate in the program.

CCSL is a training program designed to be integrated with the student’s thesis research completed in their home department. This is value-added training and not a degree granting program. This program is delivered at the University of Victoria and requires a commitment to attend all training elements in person. Trainees remain in the program for the duration of their graduate degrees to ensure continued development of cohorts and skills, but with lower time commitments in years two/three, with the bulk of programmatic training elements completed in the first year of participation.

How does it work?

CCSL trainees learn skills that are in high demand in the climate action workforce, through multiple reinforcing training elements.

Technical Training

In the first semester of the program, trainees complete Climate Solutions Foundations, a bespoke graduate level course covering foundational knowledge about climate change science, impacts, adaptation and mitigation. This course is team taught with guest lectures from over 20 experts from academia, government, and non-profits from B.C. and beyond. The course includes technical, policy, financial, governance and Indigenous perspectives on solutions, and encourages the cross-pollination of ideas and methods needed to advance novel climate solutions.

Our ClimateTALK monthly climate solutions seminar series welcomes renowned climate-scientists, policymakers and industry professionals. Trainees have exclusive access to networking events with these speakers to engage directly with climate practitioners.

In Year 2, trainees join a Climate Research Cluster with their cohort to discuss emerging solutions topics through monthly team meetings.

Experiential Learning

In the second semester of the program, trainees embark on the B.C. Coastal Climate Challenge (BC4), a climate solutions design challenge where students address a climate challenge in consultation with community partners. Through this project-based course, trainees gain experience navigating the real-world complexities of climate problems and solutions.

Harnessing the power of our multi-sector collaborator network, Climate Internships enable trainees to help advance real-world climate solutions. Our trainees acquire job-ready skills necessary for developing climate solutions, including:

  • Climate policy development and evaluation;

  • Knowledge translation to support decision-making;

  • Climate finance models

Professional Skills

We recognize the critical need for comprehensive and sustained Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) training. Upon joining the program, trainees participate in mandatory EDI workshops to foster these competencies among their cohort. In addition, CCSL students have access to curated Indigenous Cultural Acumen Training (ICAT) at the University of Victoria.

Trainees also complete Collective Leadership Training to enhance human skills that are highly-sought in the climate action workforce. This innovative leadership model introduces novel approaches for facilitating collaboration, reflexivity, project management and creative problem-solving, and introduces strategies to work successfully across disciplines.

Each spring, we host the Victoria Climate Connections Event, an opportunity for UVic Climate Faculty and CCSL trainees to showcase their research and network with local climate solutions professionals.