Future Fluency: Why AI and Sustainability Must Shape How We Teach Maths, English and Digital Skills

In this article, Christine Edwards QTLS examines how AI and sustainability are shaping the future of Further Education and why embedding these themes into Maths, English and digital skills development is essential for preparing learners to thrive in a changing world.

“Sustainability and developments in technology such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) are huge global themes but also increasingly part of our everyday activity.”
— Dr Katerina Kolyva, ETF (InTuition, Spring 2025)

It’s easy to see AI and sustainability as buzzwords. But in Further Education and Skills, they represent something much deeper, a challenge and an opportunity to reshape how we prepare learners for a future that’s already here. And that includes the way we approach Maths, English and digital skills development.

In my work supporting adult education and training providers in the UK, particularly across Greater Manchester, I’m seeing these themes converge in practical, urgent ways. Whether I’m delivering a session on numeracy in ESOL, supporting digital confidence among adult learners, or helping tutors rethink contextualisation, the message is clear:

•  The world is changing
•  Our learners are changing
•  Our teaching must change too.

AI and sustainability aren’t separate issues — they’re two sides of the same coin for anyone delivering functional skills training in the UK

Sustainability asks:

“How can we equip learners to live responsibly and contribute meaningfully in a changing world?”

AI asks:

“How can we help learners (and educators) thrive in a world where information is instant, automation is growing and digital decision-making is everywhere?”

Both raise key questions for FE:

• Are we teaching for now or for what’s next?
• Are we developing skills that support lifelong adaptability?
• Are we modelling ethical, inclusive, human-centred approaches?

And perhaps most importantly:

• Are we building confidence in the core skills — numeracy, communication and digital literacy — that underpin every learner’s ability to participate in that future?

Why does future fluency matter for Maths, English and digital skills?

Let’s examine three everyday learning moments through this lens.

Numeracy for sustainability and AI-readiness:

• Can learners calculate energy usage, compare tariffs, and apply these skills within their Maths and English training, especially for apprentices?
• Can they interpret a graph showing local pollution levels?
• Can they check a payslip generated by an AI system and spot errors?

This isn’t abstract Maths. It’s sustainable citizenship and digital safety.

English for informed participation and influence:

• Can learners write a letter to their MP about rising bus fares?
• Can they spot bias in online news articles generated by algorithms?
• Can they describe a product idea in clear language to pitch to an employer?

That’s literacy for sustainability, influence and agency.

Digital for both environmental and economic resilience:

• Can learners navigate smart meters and monitor usage?
• Can they use AI tools safely to draft CVs or summarise policies?
• Can they spot deepfakes and understand data privacy?

That’s digital confidence in action — and it’s essential.

What I’m doing in practice with training consultancy for learning providers in the UK

Across CPD sessions, workshops, webinars and partnership work with apprenticeship training providers in the UK and the GMLPN Greater Manchester Maths Ambassador Programme, I’m embedding this dual theme in multiple ways:

• AI + Maths workshops: Exploring tools like CoPilot or ChatGPT to help tutors generate real-world Maths tasks and reduce planning time
• Numeracy for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Using carbon footprints, food miles and budgeting for greener living to contextualise Maths
• Digital safety in ESOL: Helping learners understand scams, fake news and data protection as part of their English and ICT development.

In every case, we’re not just delivering content. We’re building future fluency.

What educators need to lead this shift

Educators need:

• CPD that helps them understand and use AI tools ethically and confidently
• Frameworks (like ETF’s Specialist Status in ESD) that validate and support their sustainability efforts
• Space to reflect on how Maths, English and digital skills can be tools for transformation, not just qualifications — whether you’re delivering care, childcare or hospitality training courses.

And above all, they need permission to innovate — to move from “What do I have to cover?” to “What will help learners live better, safer, more empowered lives?”

Final thought: This is about equity, not novelty

Let’s be clear! This isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about addressing systemic inequalities.

Learners who leave their apprenticeship training courses in the UK without confidence in Maths, English and digital skills are more likely to:

• Fall victim to online misinformation
• Be locked out of green jobs or digital employment
• Miss out on financial, health and civic opportunities.

When we embed sustainability and AI-readiness into core skills development, we build resilient learners and communities through sustainable skills development across a wide range of sectors. That’s real quality. That’s real inclusion.

And it starts with how we teach — now.