StudentForce is a national charity aiming to develop young professionals for a sustainable future with learning at the heart of this process. Supporting over 70 sustainability placements across the public and private sectors every year, we are well aware of the frustration that recent environmental and sustainability graduates have in not being able to begin, progress in or develop their careers. The use of learning opportunities in which a lack of understanding is addressed and then developed upon, provides a great way of enhancing existing skills and new areas of expertise, allows graduates to improve their transferable skills and apply these in the workplace.
It is of course possible for such skills to be picked up on a day to day basis by graduates, through activities such as minute taking, asserting themselves when communicating with colleagues or presenting findings to a group. However, realising the importance of this and gaining the confidence to put these techniques into practice often needs encouragement. In addition, transferable skills such as written and verbal communication, project management and report writing to name but a few are almost always required for jobs in the sector and would often benefit from development. By tailoring training towards these skills therefore ensures stronger project development, enhanced contributions to the work environment, and even help to form a career development strategy for the graduate.
It is therefore very important to draw on all the available expertise within your organisation, and work to enhance skills on all levels. The current employability pressures in the environmental sector may suggest that now is not an appropriate time to encourage your own team members to be away from their duties for too long. But with the benefit of hindsight, the advantages of a learning opportunity become clear. External interfaces, such as workshops and learning opportunity days create situations that are enriching to your team and show a commitment to developing areas of knowledge and understanding.
The media is currently focused on the huge scale of unemployment. It is now more than ever, then, that recognising those with the skills and proficiency to perform is fundamental to spotting the best candidates for your organisation. Graduates often come into the sector with the idea that they can contribute to sustainable and environmental change, and are keen to implement their skills. They therefore set many personal and professional ideals when looking to become a part of the environmental sector. Now offering a wide academic remit within environmental and sustainability related subjects, the motivation for enrolment in these degrees is high, with graduation levels from environmental sciences in particular getting higher. Graduates from these degrees often find it hard to find the first step on the career ladder due to the competition they face. Often there are simple barriers to entering the sector, with ‘relevant work experience required’ almost always expected, holding back a huge number of graduates.
But it is a myth that graduates fresh from university have no relevant experience. Being at the top of their academic arena and keen to keep on learning, they actually work in an employees favour. Transferable skills from a holiday job, volunteering experience or trip around the world will always bring a new angle to the workplace and may even demonstrate to an employer something innovative. Once a graduate has got over the initial employability hurdle, they will be able to really showcase their worth in an organisation especially if they are provided with ongoing training opportunities to constantly improve their skills. The importance of project management and effective presentation skills for example are universal and can easily be picked up, applied and transferred. Project management principles are of successful and efficient tools and frameworks for effective organisational, planning and management techniques. By building upon academic knowledge and skills through introducing business systems, methods and culture, it is easy to improve working patterns. Similarly with effective presentations involving the successful planning, rehearsing and delivery of material, it is important to consider audience profile, notes and the handling of questions.
So, it is important to understand that skills should not become stagnant within a vibrant workplace. Because we understand that graduates have great knowledge and enthusiasm but often lack the raw skills needed in the real world of work, StudentForce offers workshops on a range of subjects including Project Management, Effective Presentation and Communication Sustainability. Rachel Huxley, Operations Manager at Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT), a recent client is massively supportive of the workshops that support the value of skills training for the work place. She noted that they offer a great taster of skills needed for new graduates in first time employment and are a major part of the successful transition between academia in to the professional working environment.
Learning opportunities are so valuable for the workforce that levels of interest in training skills is at one of its highest, this may be due to the huge numbers of environmental graduates each year, it may be due to the rethinking of organisations and their working ethics in this tough financial time. It is however very clear that the desire to learn is out there and people are really trying to get involved and are keen to acquire the skills to benefit them and their employers in current and future roles. Oliver Badger, a recent Zero Waste Assistant Project Worker with Milton Keynes Council benefited hugely from the StudentForce training skills workshops finding them very useful and noting that the skills learned would help drive forward the (Zero Waste) project. This is testament to a graduate really understanding the quality of the learning provided and how it can be transferred to a workplace situation. Oliver also noted that recent training he had received was a contributing factor to me being successful at interview subsequently achieving a job in the industry he is passionate about.
As readers will be aware, entering into an environmentally and socially sustainable career can be difficult, demanding high levels of aptitude, experience and motivation. Getting a foot on the ladder through securing that vital first job is obviously a major step in the right direction, but we are keen to ensure that graduates gain the most from their experience and become as employable as possible by the end of their placement.
In order to increase external recognition, and add value to current qualifications becoming a member of a professional body such as the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, often a prerequisite for most organisations currently recruiting, is a way of really encouraging graduates to gain a wider understanding of the sector. Another way of encouraging graduates to take part in wider learning and training is by completing a City and Guilds accredited Professional Development Award. This is an accreditation of project work, which provides a formal recognition of the knowledge and skills gained. It allows a graduate to take control of their professional development by providing a framework to develop their work related key skills that employers are often seeking. Completion of the award helps set personal objectives in the workplace, and allows evaluation of experiences and articulation of the benefits gained from project work and how they can give added value to both current and future employers whilst continually developing their skills and experiences. This experience is one that is very beneficial to professional working life as it places project work in a wider setting and also enhances learning on that scale. Rachel Huxley at PECT, commented completing a Professional Development Award is a very positive way of improving your business as a graduate gains an understanding on how their work contributes to the wider business aims.
Learning and gaining transferable skills through the workplace is a way of enhancing the work of your organisation. The workplace is such a valuable location for encouraging the knock on effects of developing new skills. It does not stop here though; the knowledge gained through varied learning experiences and a continuing encouragement to interact with other professionals allows the sector as a whole to reap the benefits. Quite simply, by enthusing and developing motivated graduates, skills are gained and stay within the sector, consequently these are shared and enhance the knowledge and capacity of the organisations with which they interact.
The win-win solution of organisations benefiting from motivated staff to achieve their institutional aims and objectives, along side graduates practicing and developing their skills set is exemplary. Learning and extending transferable skills in the workplace is therefore a proactive way to ensure that young professionals are working to a sustainable future through development and commitment to the environmental and sustainability sector.
Sarah Hooper
Sustainability Projects Coordinator, StudentForce for Sustainability
Joanna Kemp
Learning Coordinator, StudentForce for Sustainability