Sustainable careers

Preparing students for the future means helping them to navigate a rapidly changing world of work. Many roles now require an understanding of sustainability, whether in policy, engineering, finance, healthcare, the arts or the charity sector. At the same time, students are increasingly seeking careers that align with their values and allow them to make a positive impact.

Our careers support helps students explore the full range of “positive impact” options, from specialist sustainability roles to jobs where they can influence change from within. The Positive Impact Careers Pathway, alongside themed events and workshops, highlights opportunities across sectors and skill levels. We also showcase alumni who are working in sustainability related roles, providing real life examples of different routes into this area.

Ethical careers practice is an important part of our approach. We respond to student campaigns and concerns about employer behaviour, and we encourage students to engage critically with the sustainability credentials of potential employers. Careers guidance helps students to ask informed questions, understand different reporting frameworks and avoid greenwashing.

Sustainability is also woven into work based learning and placements. We are working with academic departments and external partners to create more opportunities where students can apply their learning to live sustainability challenges, whether through internships, consultancy projects, volunteering or community based programmes.

By bringing together careers guidance, alumni networks, employer engagement and curriculum linked experiences, we aim to ensure that every student can see clear, practical routes to contribute to a more sustainable economy and society.