CLAREMONT CAREERS FOCUS
Green Careers edition
Welcome to the first issue of Claremont Careers Focus. This issue looks at Green Careers, a growing sector. Green careers are jobs that have a direct, positive impact on the planet and traditionally involve renewable energy, electric transport, energy efficiency or nature conservation. But right now, as more sectors transition to low-carbon models, every job has the potential to become “green”.
ISSUE 1 - DECEMBER 2022
CAREER PROFILE
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER
Environmental engineers minimise pollution in order to protect the environment.
What you’ll do
Your day-to-day will include tasks such as:
• gathering data through site assessments, environmental monitoring, and third-party reports
• evaluating the environmental impact of the project, hazard or commercial operation
• presenting recommendations on the containment, clean-up process, remediation, recycling and waste disposal, in order to fix environmental issues
• create plans to protect and restore the environment by removing contaminants from water, air and land
• assessing the ability of environments to naturally remove or reduce conventional or emerging contaminants from air, water, or soil
• working with customers to assess the environmental impact of proposed construction or to develop pollution prevention programs
• inspecting facilities to monitor compliance with regulations governing substances such as asbestos, lead, or wastewater
• collecting and analysing pollution samples, such as air or ground water
• assisting in the cleanup of hazardous material spills
Entry requirements
Most positions will require you to have a degree in engineering or a related subject, such as:
• chemistry
• environmental science
• geology
• geoscience
• geotechnical engineering
• maths
• physics
Graduate schemes are offered by some large employers in areas such as engineering and construction. Although you don’t usually need a postgraduate qualification, a master’s degree in a specialist area (such as contaminated land) may help to give you an edge over other candidates.
You can also work towards this career by completing a civil engineering technician advanced apprenticeship. You’ll usually need: 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), usually including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship.
For advice on finding green apprenticeships click here.
You’ll study animal behaviour; the physiology, genetics and biology of animal species; ecological and conservation issues; and good laboratory practice. You’ll take modules such as: genes and cellular control, immunity and the control of parasitic infections, and quantitative methods in biology.
Entry Requirements - Universities will usually be looking for high marks in maths or science at this level. Some may even have a list of subjects that are not included in offers, so make sure to check the requirements for each university.
If you’re studying A levels, expected grades range from around CCD to AAA.
Extras – Group work and independent study are important
for this course – have you done any of your own research into a species or issue that you are interested in? Read around the subject or watch documentaries surrounding the issues that animals face. Have you listened to the ‘Journal of Zoology Podcast’, which features a different researcher talking about their thesis in each episode or read books like ‘The Unexpected Truth About Animals’, which tackles some of the myths around different species. Interests outside of your academic commitments will provide you with valuable experience and add weight to your application. Examples could include:
- volunteering at an animal shelter
- joining your school’s biology club
- completing a work placement at a veterinary practice
ALUMI UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE PROFILE
CALLUM WELLS – ZOOLOGY BSC (HONS), UNIVERSITY OF READING
What A Levels did you take?
Biology, Psychology, Product Design
What was the main reason for choosing your university?
Not too far from home, nice campus with green spaces, achievable entry requirements and good for Zoology
How would you describe your first term at university?
Fairly laid back, some of the first year modules were more general and applied to all biology courses. It was definitely an adjustment getting used to sitting through a two hour lecture where the professor is talking at you the entire time. Overall the pressure is less in first year than a-levels as with many courses like mine it didn’t count towards your overall degree, so first year is more about getting settled into to university life.
What was the best part of your course?
I most enjoyed the practical elements, the dissections and getting to study the museum specimens. For one module they even brought in live snakes and reptiles for us to handle.
What type of accommodation did you stay in?
Halls in first year and a rented house for the second two years with the people I had been in halls with.
Halls is definitely recommended in first year as it’s where you meet lots of your mates that you’ll keep throughout uni.
What did you find most difficult about the transition from Year 13 to first year uni student?
For me it was probably the fact that you had to be much more independent in your studying. With no one to make
you go to lectures and do the work it is easy to slack off and fall behind. With several modules running at once with their own assignments you also have to manage your own time and prioritise different assignments and unlike school homework that is due the next week usually, professors often assign essays due in a month, so it can be easy to forget about assignments when they all pile up.
It was definitely tough adjusting to the two-hour lectures of constantly taking notes while a professor reads through a PowerPoint, and I think I never really got used to that.
What
advice would you give a year 13 who is about to start
uni?
For academics I would say organising your work load and time is key. Make some sort of planner for assignments and work out the time you need to dedicate to each in a week. This is what I learnt from my additional support person at uni, which leads me to my second piece of advice- Seek additional help if you need it. University is all about independent learning but if you are struggling there are people in place to support you with any problems, if you are struggling with assignment deadlines or personal matters. Even reaching out to your lecturer if you need advice on an assignment, they are often happy to help.
Did you get involved in any other aspects of student life? If so, what?
I played American Football for a while and 5-a-side football. Joining a society of some kind is definitely the best way to meet people outside of your halls or your course.
UNIVERSITY COURSE SPOTLIGHT - ZOOLOGY
FEATURED INTERVIEW: CHRISTINA (CHRIS) DIXON
CLASS OF 2004
How would you describe your work?
I am an environmental campaigner working at an NGO specialising in investigations, advocacy and campaigning. I lead the ocean programme where I’m predominantly involved in working on national, regional and international policy related to plastic pollution and fisheries, so my work tends to comprise of meeting with governments, companies and grassroots/non-profit organisations, writing and publishing reports, speaking at conferences and organising events, inputting into policy processes and working with the media to amplify the issues we work on.
In our organisation we also do investigative work to expose things like illicit trafficking and other environmental crime, and use this information to work with enforcement agencies and law makers.
How did you come to work for the Environmental Investigation Agency?
I have been working in this field for around 12 years. At university I studied journalism and then did a masters in communications and cultural theory. I also spent time teaching overseas and did an EU-funded internship at an international non-profit agency in Berlin as well as a brief stint working in TV.
I only ever wanted to work in the non-profit sector but didn’t have a strong view on a particular field within that, though at school and beyond I was involved in environmental activism. I’ve always been interested in human rights, politics and environmental issues and working at EIA allows me to cover issues that transect all of these interests.
While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a degree in journalism, having a communications background has really helped me hone my campaign skills, as a key aspect of the work is being able to take complex geo-
We reconnected with Chris after she kindly agreed to be a member of our inperson careers fair in 2022. We thought we would catch up with Chris again to ask some more questions about her work for the environmental investigation agency and if she had any advice for our students and alumni.
political issues and communicate them effectively to a broad range of audiences. On a given day I can be talking about my work to school children, the United Nations or the Guardian, and there’s a different way of getting across the message with each of these groups.
I was lucky to land a job at EIA when another campaign I was on was starting to wind down and I think they were looking for someone who could combine robust research with compelling storytelling.
I’ve been there for three years and came from a background of working on fisheries and animal welfare issues, so this has allowed me to work on a much broader range of topics, including the human health impacts of plastic pollution, environmental justice and climate.
in the
ask me if I have a degree in marine conservation or chemistry, which I don’t - but an ability to pick things up, organise yourself and be curious to dive into topics with an open mind.
I’d really recommend getting some volunteering experience and starting to build a network and profile within the sector if it’s of interest as a career path, but I also think setting a broad base from an educational perspective is really important as well, as in this field you can be working on quite a wide range of issues and in many different settings.
What is your most memorable experience at EIA?
environmental sector?
I don’t think there is a set career path to working in this sector and there is a big movement at the moment to boost diversity by removing some of the obstacles that have hindered this in the past, such as reliance on unpaid internships and steep academic requirements.
For campaigning the most important skills from my perspective are interpersonal ones - so knowing how to break down complicated issues, how to convey things to different audiences, how to frame a topic to capture public and political interest, how to mobilise people behind a cause and inspire them, how to communicate creatively, and so on.
When I’m hiring I look for people who have broad skill sets and a genuine interest in community or political organising and activism. Recruits don’t have to be subject matter experts - for example, a lot of people
Being in the room at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi when the gavel dropped on the decision to adopt a resolution initiating negotiations for a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution.
My team and I have been working on this for several years alongside partners around the world and it was a truly historic moment. The hard work is just beginning and now we have to keep pushing through two years of negotiations to ensure the ambition remains high and the final agreement reflects the severity of the challenge at hand, but with so many voices calling for a robust agreement I believe we can do it. I still get shivers thinking about that moment.
Once again we would like to thank Chris for her contributions, if you would like to share with us your own mini careers interview please do get in touch
*This article is shared from the alumni relations department and is featured in the upcoming annual publication.
Do you have any advice to students or alumni who would like to work
INTERESTING RELATED LINKS
• BBC Bitesize Green Careers
• BBC Jobs to protect the planet
• National Careers Service Green Careers Info
• Careers in Nature
• If you are interested, there are some webinars on Unifrog linked with green careers as part of their save the planet webinar series.