By Vesela Veleva, ScD, SERC Co-Director
In collaboration with The Office of Career Services and Internships, The Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness (SERC) at UMass Boston held its annual Green Careers Forum on April 16, 2014, to inform students about career opportunities in the environmental and sustainability fields, and provide them with the opportunity to network with prospective employers. Over 120 students from a range of majors attended the event, as well as some external students and alumni seeking opportunities in the growing green economy.
In the first part of the event, a panel of experts from the industry shared their personal journeys in finding a path to a job in the sustainability and clean energy field and provided some advice for students. The panel was facilitated by Kevin Doyle of the New England Clean Energy Council, who presented some key findings from the 2013 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report. In the second part of the event, students engaged in more intimate roundtable discussions about career opportunities with the 15 participating organizations.
Some of the main themes that emerged from the panel and the roundtable discussions included:
• There is a wide variety of jobs today that require knowledge and expertise related to sustainability and clean energy, ranging across sectors and functions. The Boston area has a strong clean energy-clean tech sector which has been growing over 11% annually over the past 3 years. Solar is the largest renewable energy sector, representing 59.7% of all clean energy employees in the state.
• Nationwide and globally, green jobs are also growing, particularly in sectors such as energy efficiency, transportation, and recycling. Countries in Europe, as well as China, will increasingly seek people with expertise in clean energy and sustainability.
• One cannot overestimate the importance of networking – according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry report, 42% of hiring is a result of word of mouth or referral. Students should be actively attending a variety of events and using platforms such as LinkedIn to network.
• Employers are looking for people with advanced degrees and experience. According to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry report, 65.8% of available positions required previous work experience, and 60.5% required a bachelor’s degree as a minimum. Doing an internship or volunteering is the best way to gain experience.
• In the sustainability field, where things change so fast, ongoing education is very important. Taking additional classes, obtaining a certificate, or any other educational opportunity can improve job prospects.
• People arrive at sustainability jobs from a range of majors and occupations; having the passion and determination and pursuing additional training/education related to sustainability is the best way to enter the field.
Participating organizations in the 2014 Green Careers Forum included Battelle, EnerNOC, Ernst & Young, Biogen Idec, EMC, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Raytheon, Next Step Living, and Systainalytics, among others. A complete list of participating companies and panelists can be found on the event flyer.