Environment

Jobs include:

  • Farming, fishing, countryside management and conservation
  • Landscape design and management, forestry, gardening, arboriculturism and tree surgery, horticulture and quarrying
  • Geology
  • Environmental health and waste management


The environment sector contains a large range of jobs many of which are land-based or rural. Lantra estimates that there are more than 300 skilled and managerial job roles to choose from in the sector.

Check out the professional bodies own entries in the Profession Finder.

There are a number of professional bodies covering these sectors. Here you will find information on:

  • Jobs and salaries
  • Routes and qualifications
  • Funding


Jobs and salaries:

Take a look at CIWEM's (Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Professionals Directory to get an idea of employers and roles within the environment sector.

A great starting place to find out more about working in the rural/land-based sector is Lantra. Lantra is the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries and works with 17 industries across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Tell me about becoming a farm manager.

Not ready for that yet? What about starting as a farm worker?

If it’s countryside management and conservation you’re interested in…

or if it’s trees or arboriculturism that you’re particularly interested in …

or visit the Forestry Commission.

Landscape design and management? This government website is worth visiting.

Fancy turning your hand to gardening? Then start digging here and you’ll find plenty of useful information, but if you want to become a groundstaff worker try this link.

If it’s digging on a grander scale that interests you then there’s always quarrying to think about – the tools are a bit bigger and the blasting must be fun. Start here, but then visit Minerals UK, the website of the British Geological Survey.

Of course quarry managers couldn’t do their job without the expertise of geologists/geoscientists.

If it’s fish farming, or becoming a skipper or deckhand on a fishing vessel that you want to know more about, you should check out the excellent Directgov website and also the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) which has some very useful background information about the industry. In England the MFA has responsibility for the enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and its associated regulations.

If you’re interested helping to keep people safe and healthy, but don’t want to be a medic, then have you thought about working in environmental health? 

It’s also worth noting that waste management is a fast growing business.


Routes and qualifications:

A very good source of information for all land-based jobs is Lantra – the Sector Skills Council for the environmemt and land-based sector. However, if you’re interested in becoming a farmer, this site is also well worth a visit.

If it’s environmental health you’re into then a huge amount of detailed information is available from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Similarly, the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management has an excellent, easily accessible site about all matters connected with waste management.


Funding:

Many references to funding arrangements can be found in the job specific sites already listed, but you might also be interested in these:


What’s it like working in this sector?

  • Many people working in this sector are self-employed.
  • Work can be based in an office or on site or a combination of both.


How big is this sector?

  • Agriculture and horticulture contribute £6.8 billion to the GVA (Gross Value Added) of the UK economy
  • The rural economy turns over £300 billion each year and employs 5.5 million people
  • Agriculture employs 531,000 people – 1.7 per cent of the total workforce
  • If fishing or fisheries management is more your thing…did you know that in 2008, consumers in Great Britain bought over 385,000 tonnes of fresh, frozen and canned seafood at retail outlets (worth over £2.73 billion) and that the overall UK seafood market, including restaurants, fish and chip shops etc. was worth £5.4 billion in 2007 and is steadily growing
  • Employment facts from the Royal College of Veterinary Science


What do employers look for?

  • This sector is becoming increasingly technical with shortages of suitably skilled managers. A relevant degree or work experience/voluntary work will make you more attractive to employers.
  • Problem solving skills.
  • Team working skills.
  • Customer service skills.
  • Knowledge of environmental issues, particularly auditing, sustainable development and waste management, health and safety and EU legislation.
  • Apprenticeships are available in some areas, for example in animal care, agriculture, environmental conservation and veterinary nursing. In addition to this NVQ’s and work related qualifications can often be gained in the workplace.

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