Beyond Biodiversity: Why Careers Talks Are Vital for the Future of the Environmental Sector

By Brian Heppenstall MCIEEM, Education and Careers Manager at CIEEM

This blog first appeared on Countryside Jobs Service’s website.

The ecology and environmental management sector is facing a quiet crisis. While we’re busy restoring landscapes, protecting species and driving climate action there’s a parallel challenge that can’t be ignored: we’re struggling to build a sustainable workforce. From consultancies to local councils, urban green infrastructure projects to charities, the story is similar, increasing skill shortages and a profession that remains one of the least diverse in the UK (Policy Exchange, 2017) (1). These issues don’t just limit delivery; they threaten the sector’s future resilience.

If we want our work to continue in the decades to come, we need to invest not just in habitats, but in people. One of the simplest, most evidence-backed ways to do that? Step into a classroom and talk.

Why Career Talks Matter

It might seem small, but careers talks, brief, informal sessions where professionals share their job journeys with students, have a measurable impact. Studies show that even short interactions with employers can raise young people’s aspirations, improve their career decision-making and lead to better job outcomes (OECD, 2023; Kashefpakdel and Percy, 2016) (2, 3). For those from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds the impact is even greater (Mann, 2018) (4).

These aren’t marketing exercises. They’re moments of visibility, moments where students realise these careers are real, relevant and possible.

Making the Invisible, Visible

Despite its growing importance, the ecology and environmental management sector is still poorly understood by young people. Ask a class of 13-year-olds to list ten jobs in healthcare; they’ll likely come close. Ask the same about environmental work, and you might get “zookeeper,” “David Attenborough” and silence.

That’s not their fault. Our sector isn’t often represented in mainstream careers education. And unless a student has a personal connection to someone in the field, the idea of becoming an ecologist, biodiversity officer or ranger can feel remote or unrealistic.

We need to change that. And one of the best ways to start is by showing up and speaking plainly.

Credit: Brian Heppenstall

Rewriting the Narrative: “Maybe I Could”

The ages between 10 and 14 are critical in shaping career aspirations (The Careers and Enterprise Company, 2021) (5). Yet by this age, many young people have already internalised messages like “I’m not good at science” or “those jobs aren’t for people like me” (Howard and Walsh, 2010) (6).

A simple, honest careers talk can challenge that thinking. When students hear real stories, about how someone struggled with A-levels but found their way through a vocational route, or how someone who loved exploring nature as a child now works in peatland restoration, it creates new possibilities.

They don’t need to hear about perfection. They need to hear about pathways.

Keep It Local, Keep It Real

The most effective careers talks aren’t polished lectures. They’re relatable, grounded conversations. Talk about how you helped design a rain garden in a housing estate or why you were ankle-deep in a pond last Tuesday. Bring props. Use “a day in the life” stories. Make your work visible and tangible.

You don’t need to overplay the terminology. Primary school children respond better to “what do you want to do when you grow up?” than “career pathways.” Older students are more interested in skills, routes in, and how their interests might align with roles like yours (Howard and Walsh, 2010) (6). Link your work to places they know, parks, rivers, and roadsides. Talk about real-world impact, not job titles.

A Psychological Edge

It’s not just anecdotal. The psychology behind career decision-making shows that young people are most influenced by three things: their attitude toward a job, whether they see people like them doing it, and whether they believe they could do it too. (Arnold et al., 2006; Ajzen, 2020; Zaremohzzabieh et al., 2021) (7, 8, 9)

Career talks can powerfully influence all three. By showcasing your enthusiasm, breaking down stereotypes and explaining how you got where you are, even if the path was winding, you help reshape students’ beliefs about what’s possible.

No Need to Go It Alone

You don’t need to cold-call schools. Organisations like STEM Learning and Inspiring the Future match professionals to schools and events where students need to see what’s out there. Many of these schools are in areas where exposure to the sector is minimal, and the potential for impact is highest. Even an hour a year makes a difference. If you can visit your old school, the effect is amplified, students listen differently to someone who once sat in their shoes.

Approaching a public library to offer publicly advertised sessions on careers in the sector could offer additional opportunities, especially for home-educated young people. These smaller settings can be just as impactful.

A Sector-Level Responsibility

Let’s be honest: most of us got into ecology or environmental management because we care about the land, the species, the climate, not because we love public speaking. But if we want to protect these things long-term, we should be inspiring others to join us.

Career talks are part of sustaining the sector. Without them, we risk further disconnect between the opportunities that exist and the people we need to fill them. This isn’t just about future job applicants. It’s about ensuring our work continues to have relevance, reach and resonance in every part of society.

And even if your talk doesn’t directly inspire someone to pursue a career in ecology or environmental management, it still holds immense value. You’ve educated a group of young people about the urgent need to protect biodiversity and manage our natural resources. Whether they go on to become engineers, teachers, designers or anything else there’s a chance that they will carry that awareness with them and make more sustainable choices as a result. Every talk plants seeds of environmental understanding.

Be the Spark

So here’s a challenge: if you work in the ecology and environmental management sector, no matter your role, background, or experience, commit to delivering just one careers talk this year. One hour of your time, spread across a single school visit or even a few short sessions, could open the door to a lifetime of impact for the students you meet.

Even if no one in the room decides to follow your path, you’ll still have achieved something meaningful: you’ve helped a group of future voters, consumers and professionals understand why protecting biodiversity and managing the environment matters. Whatever careers they go on to pursue, they’ll carry that knowledge with them, and they may make more sustainable choices because of it.

To make it easier, we’ve distilled all the research and best practice into a simple chatbot tool that guides you through planning your talk, covering tone, timing, language, and structure. Whether you’ve got ten minutes or a full session, the chatbot will help you make it count.

You can find the Careers ChatBot Here: https://poe.com/CIEEM_CareerTalkBot

Let’s stop waiting for the next generation to find us. Let’s go out and meet them.

References

Arnold, J., Loan-Clarke, J., Coombs, C., Wilkinson, A., Park, J. and Preston, D., 2006. How well can the theory of planned behavior account for occupational intentions? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69(3), pp.374-390

Ajzen, I. (2020). The theory of planned behavior: Frequently asked questions. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(4), pp. 314–324.

Howard, K.A.S. & Walsh, M.E. (2010). Children’s conceptions of career choice and attainment: Model development. Journal of Career Development, 38(3), pp. 256–271.

Kashefpakdel, E.T. & Percy, C. (2016). Career education that works: an economic analysis using the British Cohort Study. Journal of Education and Work, 30(3), pp. 217–234.

Mann, A. (2018). Socialised social capital? The capacity of schools to use careers provision to compensate for social capital deficiencies among teenagers. In Mann, A. et al. (Eds.) Essays on Employer Engagement in Education. Routledge.

OECD (2023). Career talks with guest speakers: A guide to delivering an effective career development activity. OECD Education Policy Perspectives, No. 69. Paris: OECD Publishing.

Policy Exchange. (2017). The two sides of diversity. [Online] Available at: http://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/the-two-sides-of-diversity

The Careers and Enterprise Company. (2021). Effective Careers Interventions for Disadvantaged Young People: Evidence Review

Zaremohzzabieh, Z. et al. (2021). Towards agriculture as career: predicting students’ participation in the agricultural sector using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 28(1), pp. 67–92.

CIEEM has developed the Green Jobs for Nature website to help increase the visibility of the roles and the variety of routes into the ecology and conservation sectors.