With ambitious government targets to address climate change and restore nature, there is an increased need for people with ecology skills. We need an ‘army’ of well-trained and supported professionals to create new woodlands, restore peatlands, reduce flooding with nature-based approaches, and green our towns and cities.
Research commissioned by CIEEM and Lantra indicates there is a skills and capacity crisis in ecology and environmental management, with employers struggling to recruit for the many vacancies they have. Conventional degree pathways are often criticised by employers for not equipping graduates with sufficient practical skills to complement their theoretical understanding of ecological and environmental concepts and processes.
This independent report highlights the barriers facing new entrants in the profession. These include low pay, short-term contracts, irregular working hours, requirements for car ownership, unclear career progression, and insufficient commitment by employers to supporting professional development. The sector continues to have an unhealthy dependence on volunteering to develop essential skills and this disproportionately impacts the likelihood of new entrants from traditionally underrepresented groups.
Analysis of over 2000 entry level ecology job advertisements, highlights that employers often require ecology specific certificates to work with protected species and use specialist equipment. These roles compare poorly with other graduate opportunities, and even non-graduate roles in hospitality and retail. The culture of expecting new entrants to work for passion overlooks the cost-of-living crisis.
Sally Hayns, CEO at CIEEM said: ‘’This skills and capacity crisis puts our ability to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies at risk. There is an urgent need to ‘open up’ ecology, both as a career for young people and to mid-career changers. This research shows that employers value the knowledge, skills and experience gained from vocational training. They can see how they complement traditional university courses both in terms of the expertise developed and by providing alternative pathways to increase equity of access to our sector. The research also shows that training providers can do more to ensure they are meeting the needs of employers and students, and highlights the role of CIEEM and governments in sharing labour market intelligence and creating an environment that supports innovation in curriculum development.
CIEEM is working with Defra and the Government’s Green Jobs Delivery Group to develop a sector-wide plan to identify current and future skills needs, allowing us to confidently address recruitment and retention challenges and secure support from training and education partners.
Corrina Urquhart, Director of External Relations at Lantra said: “As an advocate of vocational training, Lantra is pleased that this research highlights the value of diverse pathways into practical professions, like ecology’’.
‘’We are keen to work with the industry to develop short courses to address the skills gap in the existing workforce, whilst ensuring pathways into the profession and continuing development opportunities are future proofed. This will mean employers have the skilled professionals they need now and for years to come’’.
‘’Earlier this year, Lantra launched a careers programme which is focused on highlighting the different pathways, including apprenticeships, into the land-based and environment sector. We have a careers team who are engaging directly with young people who are closer to joining the workforce, and career changers. We look forward to continued partnership with CIEEM to ensure this activity promotes nature-based careers, attracting new talent and people with passion into jobs in ecology’’.
The research was conducted by Resources for Change earlier this year and used a mixture of workshops, interviews and an online survey to get the views of employers and recent entrants to the profession.
Read more from the findings here.
If you're interested in finding out more, CIEEM are hosting a webinar on the topic this Thursday (30 November) between 12:00pm and 13:00pm. You can book your spot here.
