Purpose: This study aims to assess the level of sustainability competencies among full-time students and professional students, foresee any noteworthy change in students’ competencies after applying teaching pedagogy and determine whether lecturing is an effective teaching pedagogy for developing all five sustainability competencies in both cohorts. Design/methodology/approach: The presence and development of competencies after varying pedagogical practices are assessed using a pre-/post-test based on two case studies. This research approach of comparative case study is more advanced and is particularly useful when seeking to understand differences and similarities between distinct entities, which in our case were students of two different capacities. The study targets two cohorts: the first includes 15 professional students with considerable industry experience, while the second consists of 24 full-time students without industry exposure. Findings: The study revealed that professional students have more sustainability competencies than full-time students. Also, lecturing is an effective pedagogical practice when all five sustainable competencies have to be enhanced in full-time students. In contrast, lecturing does not work for interpersonal competence in professional students. Research limitations/implications: There are certain limitations of the study that future researchers undermine. Firstly, the study was conducted only on business students at Bahria University. Secondly, the sample size for the study is small as the data were qualitative, and the researchers had time constraints. Thirdly, the effectiveness of only one teaching pedagogy has been gauged in the current research. Practical implications: It is recommended that higher educational institutions (HEIs) of Pakistan introduce sustainability courses or programs to its students to spread awareness among learners and develop sustainable competencies. All service and production industries in Pakistan should train their employees in sustainable practices so that hazardous impacts in the future can be reduced. It is a need of time for the country to move a step ahead towards sustainable development goals. Originality/value: This research contributes to education for sustainable development (ESD) in Pakistan. Pakistan is a developing country that is far behind ESD. Therefore, this study identifies how sustainability education can become a part of the academic system. It also identifies the need for sustainable education not only for students but also for professionals. It also identifies teaching pedagogy required for developing sustainability competencies and is relevant to learners’ exposure. © 2025, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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