Corporate sustainability and responsibility toward education

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PurposeThis paper aims to deliberate on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) ought to be reconceived for better educational outcomes. It suggests that there are win-win opportunities for corporations and national governments to nurture human capital and address any skill gaps and mismatches in the labour market.Design/methodology/approachThe businesses’ involvement in setting curriculum programmes may help to improve the quality and effectiveness of extant educational systems. This contribution reports on how different organisations are already engaging in responsible behaviours with varying degrees of intensity and success across many contexts.FindingsMany firms are often training and sponsoring individuals to pursue further studies for their career advancement. It also indicated that there are businesses that are engaging in laudable behaviours to attract prospective employees. Moreover, this paper contends that the provision of education, professional development and training will boost the employees’ morale and job satisfaction, which may, in turn, lead to lower staff turnover rates and greater productivity levels in workplace environments.Social implicationsThis contribution implies that organisational cultures and their business ethos could be attuned with the governments’ educational policies to actively respond to the diverse needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s human resources.Originality/valueThere is a business case for CSR as the corporations’ strategies realign their economic success with societal progress. Arguably, there is potential that such responsible behaviours can bring reputational benefits, enhance the firms’ image among external stakeholders and could lead to a favourable climate of trust and cooperation within the company itself.