This is a conceptual paper with the purpose of clarifying some challenges in developing a curriculum for a higher level ESD in cooperation with external partners in order to prepare students to work as professionals with sustainable development. The paper will broaden the theoretical discussion about ESD to the question of how higher level ESD can promote developments of professional skills for working with sustainable development. The paper begins with a discussion about the challenges of prepare people to work with sustainable development as professionals. I will then arguing in favour of that this implies that people have to learn experiences their professional practice in a different way – and in the same time challenge existing practices. This could be achieved by an action research approach when educators and researchers together with practitioners from different fields critically examine practices from a sustainable development stand point.