Green careers and environmental sustainability

Source: https://www.york.ac.uk/students/work-volunteering-careers/options/sectors/environment/ Parent: https://www.york.ac.uk/students/work-volunteering-careers/options/career-ideas/podcast/

The green careers sector is broad and comprises a wide range of employers and career opportunities, both outdoors and office-based.

It can include:

• conservation
• environmental assessment
• energy
• sustainability
• corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• and a range of land-based and animal-related careers

Find out about environment and energy

• Prospects Environmental sector
• Prospects Energy and Utilities
• TARGETjobs Green careers
• IEMA Green careers hub

Keep up with news and current issues by reading:

• The Guardian Environment section
• Institution of Environmental Sciences journal, environmental SCIENTIST (Environment/Environmental Geography students can take out student membership to access all publications.)
• Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) - advisory body to the UK Government
• Articles and news from: \
• Climate Change Committee articles and news
• Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management
• Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management
• edie.net - news and resources for energy and sustainability
• The British Council's Green Careers Guide includes videos, webinars and career stories from around the world

Use of AI in the sector

There is considerable scope for AI use in the environment and energy sector; skills in AI and data analytics will be valuable alongside environmental training for careers in this sector. Examples include: analysis of datasets to improve weather forecasting and climate modelling; biodiversity mapping and monitoring; water quality and management; sustainable agriculture (eg Earth Observation to improve decision-making for food production and supply chain efficiency); optimising renewable energy (GOV.UK UK AI Energy Council); waste management.

What skills will I need?

Work in the environment sector is likely to require a degree in Life Sciences, Environment or Ecology, possibly with a postgraduate qualification, though other subjects may be acceptable for some roles.

Useful skills include:

• Demonstrable interest in environment and sustainability
• teamwork
• communication skills
• negotiation skills
• commercial awareness

Look at the Green careers hub green skills and IEMA skills map for more suggestions.

For more information about professional skills and how to develop them, see the York Strengths Professional Skills page.

Work experience

Getting work experience is important for this sector, to make you stand out as a graduate applicant, and may be gained by volunteering, summer internships or a placement year.

• Careers and Placements volunteering projects
• The National Trust
• TCV - The Conservation Volunteers
• Greenpeace internships
• International Institute for Environment and Development
• RSPB volunteer internships

• Wildlife Trusts

• Some larger organisations offer vacation internships, but these are likely to be companies in the water, energy, construction, oil, manufacturing, chemical and defence sectors.

• York Internshipspart of Careers and Placements, works with local organisations to develop paid project based internships, which are advertised on Handshake. We receive relatively small numbers of scientific research or lab based projects, but business related projects within organisations can offer useful insights, and all projects will give you experience of project management and a range of other employability skills.

Find jobs

Jobs in green careers, sustainability and energy

A wide range of employers recruit into this sector, including organisations in the private and public sectors, charities and NGOs.

Labour market information (LMI)

• ENDS reports (some available free on registration, some for subscribers only)
• IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment) is the professional body for environment and sustainability; they offer student membership to access their resources
• Frontiers article: The Green Skills Gap (2025)
• ONS Estimates of green jobs, UK (July 2025)
• Enable Green Sustainability Recruitment Market: Insights, Trends, Key Roles and Salaries (2025)

See Prospects job profiles for the sector, for suggestions on employers and jobs sites. Use the following list as a starting point for your job search:

General environment/conservation/multiple functions:

• Acre - environmental, health and safety, energy and carbon, SCR and sustainability
• Allen and York - recruitment agency/site
• CIEEM - ecology and environmental management
• CIWEM Jobs - water and environmental management jobs
• Countryside Jobs Service
• Environment Job
• Evergreen Resources - environmental recruitment agency
• Gradcracker - careers for STEM students
• GreenJobs network of websites - jobs in conservation, ecology, environment, renewable energy, solar, waste, water, wind
• Jobs in Ecology
• New Scientist - jobs section
• Windo - compare employers' CSR profiles

Agriculture/farming:

• Agricultural and Farming Jobs

Energy/utilities:

• EnergyJobLine - jobs in the power, oil, gas and renewable energy industries
• Energy and Utilities Jobs

Environmental consultancy/resource economics:

• ENDS Job Search - includes economics
• Vault's best consulting forms for energy consulting

UK and European government departments and agencies:

• UK Civil Service - includes Environment Agency, Natural England, Defra, Ofwat, etc
• European Union

Food, fisheries and marine:

• Institute of Fisheries Management
• Roots to work - sustainable food jobs in the UK, including some policy and engagement roles.

Meteorology

• Met Office Careers

Renewable energy:

• Renewable Energy Jobs

Sustainability and CSR:

• Business for Social Responsibility
• Change Agents UK
• EnableGreen Sustainability recruitment agency

Toxicology:

• British Toxicology Society
• Health Careers - Analytical Toxicology profile and vacancy information
• Prospects - Toxicologist profile and vacancy sites

Jobs boards and LinkedIn can also be useful in your job search.

The recruitment process

Large graduate recruiters will typically have online application forms, while smaller companies may require a CV. Check closing dates for opportunities and plan accordingly. Allow as much time as possible to make your application. Some graduate vacancies may be advertised up to a year in advance, but other opportunities may be more immediate, with a period of weeks from advert to deadline. Always follow the application method stated in the job advert. See our pages on applying for jobs to help you, and find out more about CVs on the CV page.

What can I do at York?

Make the most of your time at York to build relevant skills and experience, and find out about this sector. You could:

• Explore the York Interdisciplinary Modules (YIMs) and develop key skills and competencies in working across disciplines on local, regional and global sustainability challenges.
• Join a relevant student society eg EnviroSoc, People and Planet
• Volunteer with a relevant organisation - choose one of our sustainability projects, or a local organisation such as St Nicks or Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
• Get involved with [Green Impact](https://www.york.ac.uk/about/sustainability/get-involved/green-impact/) at the University of York or join one of the other activities in the Sustainability Opportunities Hub.
• Find an internship to see whether this sector is for you. Check for opportunities with York Internships (advertised in Handshake)
• Join one of the professional organisations (see the Find out... section above) as a student member to keep informed about the sector
• Take any opportunity to network with professionals in the sector - Careers events on campus, York for Life and LinkedIn are just some of the ways you can speak to practitioners.

More resources: people to follow, podcasts, blogs

Connect with York graduates

Join York for Life to connect with our global network of alumni. Start building your own network - find people from your course, look at different careers, ask questions and request a mentor.

Use LinkedIn to make connections, follow organisations of interest, and find out what York graduates are doing. Find out more about using LinkedIn and networking.

Podcasts

• Relevant episodes of our What do you actually do? podcast series
• Making a splash, with Tom Pagett
• Pollution is in the air, with Aiden Heeley-Hill
• Summer internship: It's not easy being green, with Oscar Bentley
• Environmental consultant with Kadi Tamjarv
• Climate Communications Consultant, Cass Hebron
• Engineering in the nuclear industry, with Cezara Jalba
• BBC Earth Podcast - covers a wide range of topics related to the natural world, including environmental challenges and conservation efforts.
• Outrage + Optimism -  addresses the climate crisis and features conversations with leading figures in climate science, policy, and activism.
• The Big Green Money Show - (2023) hosted by Deborah Meaden and Felicity Hannah, this podcast delves into the intersection of business and environmental sustainability, exploring how businesses can be both profitable and environmentally friendly.
• The Energy Gang - features discussions on global energy issues, including renewables, policy, and innovation. Hosted by experts in the field, it offers deep dives into current energy topics.
• Local Zero - focuses on the local aspects of the energy transition, including community projects, local policies, and grassroots initiatives for a sustainable energy future.

British Council case studies

Read inspiring stories about UK alumni and green careers in different parts of the world, in the British Council's Green careers directory.

Blogs

• Inside Track, Green Alliance blog
• Earthbound report
• Countryside Jobs Service in-depth features (check dates)
• Students and new graduates can get a full year's subscription to CJS Weekly free of charge by completing the form on its website
• The Ecologist - conservation, climate change, and sustainable living
• Energy Voice - covers the global energy industry with a focus on oil, gas, and the energy transition
• Treehugger - one of the world’s largest information sites dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream