If you are an employer please visit the employer facing Green Consultants webpage.
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Green Consultants aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Meets the three competency areas of the Entrecomp Framework.
Green Consultants
Green Consultants is an award winning programme designed to provide students with additional skills and experience required to work in the highly competitive environmental and sustainability sector.
“It’s the one piece of work experience everyone asks about in interviews, I can't recommend it enough” Alice Dunsmore (Green Consultant, 2021)
"I would have barely been in contention for my current job without my experience gained with the Green Consultants Programme" Dan Hepburn, ESG Business Consultant (BA Philosophy and History - Green Consultant 2022)
The interactive programme comprises of 3 key elements:
- Training - online interactive technical and employability training.Teaching you the skills you need for sustainability consulting
- Project - You will work in a small group to apply your learning to a live project contributing to the University's net zero goal
- Internship - The opportunity to apply your skills and experience in a relevant paid internship with an external organisation.
Open to all - START NOW - no application needed
You can expect the programme as a whole to take approximately 100 hours to complete, with each stage being of roughly equal duration. For further information about each of the three stages, please see the drop-down menus below
You can ask any questions at greenconsultants@exeter.ac.uk
Some students at Penryn can participate in Green Consultants within a credited module format GEO2449 for the 2023/24 academic year. Please direct any enquiries relating to eligibility for this module to the PIP (Penryn Information Point) desk.
The online training programme covers a range of professional competency (soft) and technical skills including:
- Working as a consultant
- The soft skills you need
- Project management
- Technical skills e.g. Environmental Impact Assessments, BREEAM, ISO14001
The training is open to all students at the University of Exeter. You can start any time you wish and take as long as you need to complete the course.
If you have any questions about the training please email greenconsultants@exeter.ac.uk. This is a new training programme so we welcome feedback and comments.
When you have completed the training, we will write you a LinkedIn recommendation outlining your activities.
Completion of the training will not guarantee you a Green Consultants on-campus project or an internship. Applying for an on-campus project and internship will be easier if you have engaged thoroughly with the training material.
After your training has been completed, you can apply for a group project with the University of Exeter as a client. Each student is expected to dedicate 30 hours of their time to this project. This group project allows you to put into practice what you have learnt during the training, working within a team of consultants.
Before undertaking this project you will need to complete a 1 hour training session - view and book available sessions on Handshake.
If you are an MBA or research student, a project probably isn’t the best way for you to gain more experience. Please see your dedicated Careers Consultant (MBA) or webpages to help you with your career choices.
Projects will be advertised in the sidebar on the right of this page as they become available, or you can browse in Handshake - search Green Consultants.
The application will be simple if you have fully engaged with the training.
There will be a slight delay of a few days between finishing the training, and you being able to apply for a project as we need to manually check your work.
Where a project adds value to the University there is a possible stipend of £100 per contributing student. This stipend would only be payable where the project team have fulfilled all aims and objectives of the project and delivered the agreed outputs to the satisfaction of their client. This stipend is not payable on projects started before 1st September 2022.
If you have completed your project, then you can apply for a paid internship.
Current vacancies are advertised in the side bar on the right of this text and you can also access them here.
These internships are 35 hours long and are paid.
If you are unsure if your visa permits you to take part, please chat to us greenconsultants@exeter.ac.uk
You must be a current University of Exeter student when you apply for a project or internship. You can be from any discipline or level of study from first year to final year, undergraduate or postgraduate.
If you are an MBA or research student, a project probably isn’t the best way for you to gain more experience. Please see your dedicated Careers Consultant (MBA) or webpages to help you with your career choices. Please do complete the online training, but other students will be prioritised for projects and internships.
For Penryn based students within the College of Life and Environmental Sciences there is the option to take this programme for credit.
If you are a University of Exeter graduate, you can access the training for a small period of time after graduation, but you cannot participate in a project or internship.
For the internship, you must have the right to work in the UK and provide your visa status before starting work.
To work in the UK you will need a National Insurance number. For more information on how to obtain one please go to: Advice for international students | Career Zone | University of Exeter
Training: You do not need to apply to complete the training, you can take part at any time that suits you.
Project: When you have completed the training, you will be able to apply for a project. Although you may have to give it a couple of days for the system to update.
Internships: These are available to students who have completed their project.
The development of the Green Consultants programme is supported by the Industry Advisory Group. Find out more about the members involved here.
- Do I have to be studying an environmental degree?
No, all students from any degree programme are welcome to apply for the programme. The programme will best suit students who want a career in environment sustainability. E.g. working as an Environmental Consultant.
- How do I apply for Green Consultants?
You don’t need to apply! You can just start the training any time.
- Where is the training carried out?
The training is delivered online. You can do it at a time and speed that suits you.
- What happens when I have finished the training?
You will be able to apply for a Green Consultant project and we will write you a LinkedIn recommendation.
- Do I automatically get a project and an internship once I’ve completed the training?
No, you will need to apply for a project first and separately for an internship. These may be very competitive, but completing the training will give you everything you need to succeed. The more you engage with the training, the better your chance of a project.
- What does the project entail?
All the projects are different. All projects will be linked in some way to the University of Exeter Climate Emergency White Paper. Our most recent projects looked at the carbon emissions of our goods and services, energy use in Northcote House, and the impact of construction on biodiversity. With such a wide range of different projects there will always be new interesting projects that you’ll be interested in. You will be working as part of a group.
- Is the 30 hours for the project per group?
No, each student is required to carry out 30 hours. Depending on the group sizes different projects will have different total project hours.
- Do I get a choice in the internship that I carry out?
You will be able to apply for any internship that interests you - you're in charge! You won't be asked to do an internship that you are not interested in. Our most recent internships were with an incredibly diverse range of organisations: Sutton Council, The National Trust, P1 Investment and South Devon Care Services among many others.
- Does Green Consultants count towards the Exeter Award
Yes! Every section will contribute to the Exeter Award.
- Who do I get in contact with if I want to know more about Green Consultants?
We are always available to answer your email concerns. Just send us any questions through to: greenconsultants@exeter.ac.uk
You may find it interesting to research the Sustainable Development Goals for more information on the international sustainability agenda.
Roles our graduates have gone onto
Senior Ecologist, Sustainability Consultant, Environment Specialist, Sustainability Manager, Sustainable Finance Lead Consultant, ESG Manager, Biodiversity and Climate Professional, Environmental Manager, Biodiversity Net Gain Officer, Farm Environment Advisor.