Sustainable development education, English language proficiency, and graduate employability in higher education: a narrative review

Higher education institutions are increasingly expected to prepare graduates who are not only technically competent but also globally communicative and sustainability literate. This narrative review synthesizes literature published between 2016 and August 2026 on the interrelationship between sustainable development education (SDE), English language proficiency (ELP), and graduate employability, with particular attention to higher education contexts in developing countries and settings where English is taught as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL). Drawing on Human Capital Theory, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) theory, Employability Theory, and Communicative Competence Theory, the review organizes the findings into six thematic areas: sustainable development education in higher education, English proficiency and employability, sustainability competencies and green skills, English communication for sustainable careers, workplace readiness, and the challenges of integrating sustainability education with English language development. The synthesis suggests that SDE and ELP function as complementary rather than parallel employability assets, jointly enabling graduates to participate in an increasingly green and linguistically globalized labour market. However, the literature remains fragmented, is dominated by studies from high-income and Anglophone-adjacent contexts, and rarely examines the two domains together as an integrated employability construct. The review identifies significant gaps concerning EFL/ESL learners in the Global South and proposes an agenda for curriculum design, English language teaching, sustainability education, and university-industry collaboration