Employers across many industries are looking for people who can help them work more sustainably, but many students and graduates do not know how to share these skills clearly. The good news is that green skills are not just for environmental jobs. They can be used in healthcare, procurement, labs, administration and many other roles.

What is a green career?

Green jobs are jobs that help improve the environment. That might mean reducing waste, cutting pollution, saving energy or supporting cleaner ways of working. These roles are not limited to environmental or engineering sectors, because sustainability is now part of lots of different jobs.

Green skills in the workplace

So what do green skills look like in a job? Here are a few examples.

• A procurement manager would choose suppliers with lower carbon footprints and keep track of sustainability measures like recycled material use.

• Nurses would reducing waste by encouraging recycling, using lower-impact disposable items where needed, and switching off equipment when it is not being used.

• A lab assistant can save energy by using timers to switch off fume hoods and fridges, carrying out waste audits, separating recyclables and using reusable sample packaging where possible.

Skills you need

Green skills include both technical knowledge and transferable skills.

Hard skills

• Carbon accounting: knowing how to track greenhouse gas emissions so you can understand the climate impact of a person, team or organisation.

• ESG reporting: understanding environmental, social and governance factors and how they are reported to stakeholders.

• Renewable tech basics: understanding the basics of solar panels, wind turbines or electric vehicles and how they can support lower emissions.

Soft skills

• Critical thinking: looking at environmental changes and weighing up short-term costs against long-term sustainability benefits.

• Systems thinking: seeing how different parts of a process connect, such as how supply chain choices can affect biodiversity.

• Communication and collaboration: sharing sustainability ideas clearly so others can get behind them.

• Adaptability and resilience: keeping up with new regulations, new technologies and changing ways of working.

How to build your skills?

You can develop your green skills in a few simple ways.

• Attend Carbon Literacy training to learn more about the climate crisis and what you can do in your everyday life, studies and future career.

• Adopt the SU Sustainability Society.

• Explore green careers with the National Careers Service.

• Try online sustainability learning through UN SDG:Learn.

• Use the Green Careers Hub for job boards and skills resources.

Why it matters?

You do not need to work in a traditional environmental role to make a difference. Green skills can help you stand out in applications, interviews and future jobs, while also helping organisations become more sustainable. If you can show that you understand sustainability and can put it into practice, you are already building a valuable skill for the future.