Sixty young people are being offered the exciting opportunity to kickstart a green career through an initiative designed to boost diversity in the environmental sector.
New to Nature has opened the doors for young people aged 18-25 and from under-represented backgrounds, enabling them to undertake paid work placements across the natural environment and landscape sector.
Those who are from ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled or from low-income homes are being encouraged to apply.
The programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and being delivered by community charity, Groundwork in partnership with The Prince’s Trust, Mission Diverse, Disability Rights UK and the Youth Environmental Service.
Roles with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), The Woodland Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, City Of Trees, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the National Trust are on offer as well as other exciting placements, offering varied and innovative opportunities for young up and down the UK.
Ten young people have started on their journey through the programme at organisations through the first programme cohort, including WWF-UK, CPRE and the British Ecological Society.
Creating accessible pathways into entry-level roles is one of the key tools to increase diversity in the sector, offering people the opportunity to gain paid experience in a sector they might not otherwise have considered or been able to access.
Current research shows that 57% of disabled people feel excluded from being able to reduce their environmental impact and less than 5% of environment professionals are from ethnic minority backgrounds. This innovative new initiative aims to both inspire and show young people who aren’t the typical demographic that green jobs are accessible and exciting, as well as increasing the diversity of the green sector.
Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “One of the primary challenges for the environmental sector is to inspire and mobilise more people to connect with and care for nature so that we can make more rapid progress on reversing biodiversity loss and mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. We’ll only be successful in this if we can make the issues real and relevant to people’s lives, which in turn means bringing a more diverse set of voices and perspectives into the sector. I’m really delighted that we’re able to provide this opportunity for young people, who might not otherwise get the chance, to gain experience and start building their career.”
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “From the start, this has been a key project for us to support. The environment is for everyone, and it is so important to have a diverse range of voices involved in the care and sustaining of our precious natural heritage. It is especially important to support those who might find it more challenging to gain a foothold on the ladder, and so it is wonderful to welcome the first ten young people who start in their new roles in such exciting organisations. There are 60 more placements to come, and we are excited to see how this innovative project will develop. We wish all the young people well and know they will bring new insights and freshness in caring for nature and provide a lasting legacy for the Jubilee year.”
As the National Lottery Heritage Fund looks to launch its first ten-year strategy in the coming months, partnership working with expert organisations such as Groundwork, along with the ability to react quickly will be key in delivering crucial funding to the heritage sector where it is needed most.
