From Strategy to Student Reality: Embedding Sustainability in Careers and Employability

Posted on: 29 January 2025 in News, Awards & Insights - blog

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important part of how students think about their future careers. At the University of Liverpool, the Careers & Employability team has been working to translate the ambitions of the Sustainability Strategy 2031 into practical experiences that help students connect sustainability with their skills, learning and career choices.

The University of Liverpool’s Sustainability Strategy 2031 sets out an ambitious vision: embedding sustainability across teaching, research and institutional activity.

For the Careers & Employability (C&E) team, the challenge has been translating that strategy into something students genuinely experience — not just as an institutional message, but through the decisions they make about their studies, skills and career paths.

As Joanne Poole, Head of Operations and Special Projects, explains:

“We talk a lot about sustainability as an institutional commitment, but what matters is whether students actually experience it — in their curriculum, in their career thinking, and in the choices they feel empowered to make.”

Over the past year, C&E’s contribution has focused on turning strategy into practice, embedding sustainability into learning design, employer engagement and student opportunities across the University.

Sustainability where it counts: inside the curriculum

One of the most visible shifts has been the move to integrate sustainability directly into academic programmes.

More than 500 students in BIOS205 Public Health Enterprise Challenge have been designing sustainable public health strategies aligned with priorities in the Liverpool City Region. In ENVS111, students have produced digital storytelling projects proposing net-zero solutions for local communities.

First-year Chemistry students in CHEM180 have collaborated internationally on sustainability-focused activities, connecting disciplinary learning with global challenges.

Rather than presenting sustainability as a separate topic, these activities link it directly to professional skills and employability.

Learning through real-world challenges

For many students, sustainability becomes most tangible when it moves beyond theory.

The Virtual Work-Based Experience with Ørsted, embedded within Psychology and Life Sciences modules, offers a 70-hour simulation where students step into roles such as Stakeholder Engagement Officer and respond to real sustainability challenges.

Alongside this, the Sustainability Grand Challenge brings together students from Liverpool, Berlin, Belfast and Manchester to collaborate on real sustainability issues, including projects connected to Manchester City FC’s sustainability goals.

These experiences allow students to explore where their skills fit within the sustainability agenda and how they can contribute to real organisations and industries.

Careers conversations are changing

Sustainability is also shaping how students engage with employers and career opportunities.

At the Grow Your Future Careers Fair, more than 240 students spoke with employers working in renewable energy, conservation and sustainable infrastructure, including organisations such as WSP, HyNet and the Environment Agency.

During Biosciences Employability Week, sustainability appeared across panels, employer discussions and student-led questions, reflecting the growing importance of environmental and social impact within career decision-making.

Employers themselves are responding to this shift. Through employer feedback systems, organisations can now identify as ‘Green Employers’, helping students quickly recognise companies with sustainability-focused roles. Nearly half of employers engaging with C&E now classify themselves in this way.

Building sustainable systems

Beyond student activity, Careers & Employability has also aligned its own operational practices with the University’s Climate Plan and Biodiversity Plan.

Sustainability principles are now embedded across employer engagement, event planning and internal reporting processes, supporting the University’s environmental commitments and ensuring sustainability is reflected not only in teaching but also in how services operate.

Student employment and volunteering opportunities, including roles such as Careers Coaches and community initiatives like Feel Good February and The Big Event Challenge, also contribute to social value while supporting wellbeing and inclusion.

Why this matters

For colleagues across the University, the message is clear: sustainability becomes meaningful when it is embedded into existing structures — curriculum, careers education, employer partnerships and student experience.

As Joanne Poole summarises:

“If students leave Liverpool understanding sustainability not just as a concept, but as part of how they work, think and lead — then we’ve done something that lasts.”