A coalition of charity and non-profit organisations have joined forces to call on the government and the environmental sectors to do more to create accessible pathways into nature-based jobs, to diversify the sector and deliver our ambitions for nature recovery.
The call to action – led by Groundwork, The King’s (formerly Prince’s) Trust, Mission Diverse, Disability Rights UK and Youth Environmental Service – sets out the need to ensure equity in the transition to a greener economy, through the creation of entry level green jobs that help tackle the climate and nature crises.
The call is made in ‘‘Force of Nature – Reversing Nature’s Decline and Promoting Equity in the Green Transition’’, a publication written by the five charities and endorsed by a wide range of key nature-sector organisations including RSPB, the National Trust, Wildlife & Countryside Link, WWF-UK and Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
A key ask for central and local government is the prioritisation of waged work placements within national employment support programmes and regional plans for skills and growth. The document also recommends that the creation of a ‘National Nature Service’ should be a priority for the Labour government, through paid environmental work placements for all young people, similar to the scheme being progressed by a coalition of organisations across Wales*.
The call for action also reflects on the need to create more genuinely entry level positions – both for young people and career changers – in order to remove unnecessary barriers, such as insistence on experience through voluntary work or qualifications, that are preventing people from all backgrounds seeing green jobs as a viable prospect.
Organisations have also endorsed the need for charitable funders to create entry-level roles or traineeships as part of their investment offer to environmental organisations, including core funding for effective training and professional development, to grow the next generation of engaged and skilled environmental professionals, who are currently under-represented in the sector.
Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “Every day we see new statistics and stories about the decline of nature – from endangered species to the loss of our parks and green spaces. We’re also seeing a worrying rise in youth unemployment. Our research tells us more and more young people want a job with purpose and with prospects, but many find it hard to break into our sector, primarily due to a lack of experience. We need to break this cycle.
“A more representative workforce is vital if we’re going to encourage a wider variety of people to become environmental guardians, but it’s also critical to how we build the economy and invest in our infrastructure. Nature matters to the way we manage our water supply, generate our energy, produce our food and construct new housing developments. Bringing new talent into these sectors with the core skills they need to progress is an urgent priority.”
New to Nature– a national programme of paid work placements designed to boost the capacity of environmental organisations while delivering life-changing career opportunities for people from underrepresented groups – was an example of best practice in how to create a more diverse nature sector.
Led by Groundwork and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the initiative has seen 95 paid-for work placements across more than 80 not-for-profit employers in a range of landscape and nature roles, targeting young people who are disabled or from a minority ethnic or economically disadvantaged background.
The call to action resonates with an on-going research project led by 16–24-year-old members of Groundwork’s Youth Advisory Board surrounding supporting young people to change how policy responds to green jobs and mental health.
Key insights include the need for more visibility and support for how young people can kickstart a green career, with only 2% of young people surveyed saying they did not feel that young people experience any barriers when trying to access green jobs. In addition, over two thirds agreed that a lack of entry-level positions or pathways was a reason for this.
