Stream A: What Does the Next Generation of Sustainability Leaders Look Like? Developing & Recruiting a Future-Ready Workforce 

Achieving decarbonisation and sustainability goals requires a people-centric approach, whereby organizations can attract and develop the talent needed to advance an equitable and sustainable transition.

This session will explore the role of academia in future-proofing the workforce and enabling both consultancies and industry to attract the STEM talent they need, how employers need to approach the talent pipeline differently, and hear from graduates and early career professionals (ECPs) on the skills they believe are important for them to learn, and what they are looking for in their future career. 

Reviewing how educational institutions are responding to the expanding scope of roles in the field of environmental assessment and sustainability 

What do they believe are the key skills required now and in the next 5 years 

How are future undergraduate and masters programmes being developed and what changes are being made to curriculums? 

Outlining what recruiters are seeing in terms of talent available vs the needs of different industry sectors - where do the key gaps lie?

Assessing how current workforces can be reskilled to meet the needs of the transition 

Hearing from ECPs about their routes into the sector, how the workplace compares to expectations, the key skills they are pleased they have, and wish they had, and their career ambitions, including what is important to them (salary, progression, type of projects / clients they work on etc) 

How can consultants and organizations best position themselves to attract the talent needed

How do you bridge the gap between academia and “boots on the ground”?  

Exploring how AI and digital technologies can help to solve the skills crisis

Chair:

Bob Beinstein, Global ESG Implementation Lead, AECOM

Panelists:

Prof. John E. Fernández, Professor & Director, Environmental Solutions Initiative,  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Sara Oliver, Director, Master of Engineering in Climate and Sustainability Program, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University

Julie Sinistore, Vice President, Sustainability, Energy and Climate Change, WSP US

Catherine Dang, Junior Consultant, GHD

12:45pm Networking Lunch