Every Career is a Green Career
Notes for School Careers Advisors | April 2025 | Oxford Earth Academy
Why is this important?
There are more “green” jobs across all sectors
As the climate is shifting, and the natural world is diminished, the economy is responding. In the UK, the number of green jobs is growing while job availability overall is contracting. PwC reported that job adverts in 2024 increased to 3.3% of the total compared with 2.3% the previous year, and green job advert numbers grew by over 9% while jobs overall fell 20%. The UK needs two million green jobs by 2030 if it’s going to stay on track to meet its Net Zero target. The government’s Green Jobs Taskforce estimates that one in five jobs will be affected by the transition to a low-carbon economy.
And people want them
Young people are increasingly interested in, and anxious about, the environmental issues that loom over their futures. We can help them avoid anxiety, and increase motivation for their school studies, by showing them that they can be part of the solution, regardless of their interests: every profession is getting involved, from games design to law.
According to the Green Alliance, 94% of people aged 15 to 24 are looking for green jobs and careers, while the Learning & Work Institute recently found that 79% of young people want to work for an organisation tackling climate change.
Students need more knowledge and skills
In the Green Alliance report, only 22% of 16-23 year olds said they were informed about the range of green jobs available – and as many as 87% don’t know what ‘green skills’ are. 75% of students interviewed agreed that they would like to learn more about climate, sustainability and environmental topics at school.
What can School Careers Advisors do?
1. Explain to students that environmental action by organisations is creating exciting new opportunities across all sectors – it’s not just climate science, and ecology. See the student information sheet.
2. Avoid separating “green/sustainable/ethical” jobs in your materials and advice. Otherwise we labelling most jobs as environmentally damaging and unethical.
3. Make a distinction between ethical jobs, and ethical organisations. Doing any job for an ethical organisation supports their activities. There are plenty of organisations listing ethical companies.
4. At careers fairs ask organisations to explain their environmental issues and actions to the students: help the students engage with a questionnaire.
5. Encourage employers to offer work experience which touches on their green activities.
6. Help teaching colleagues appreciate how environmental knowledge and skills supports their students’ career aspirations and may motivate them in their studies. They could use resources from UCL IoE Sustainability Centre. Signpost interested colleagues to the Oxfordshire Schools Sustainability Network via Oxford Earth Academy for support.
7. Help students and teaching colleagues what green skills are. See the student info sheet.