Careers

Graduates of the MSc in Environmental Technology are ideally placed to gain employment in a wide range of organisations, including consulting companies, government, and NGOs dealing with natural resources, conservation and international development.

The Departmental Careers Advisor is Dr Bill Sheate, Reader in Environmental Assessment (p/t) and Deputy Director of CEP's MSc Course. Bill is also Associate Director at Collingwood Environmental Planning Ltd, and a therapist specialising in anxiety and stress in higher education (Imagination Therapy). He has more than 35 years' experience working in the public, private and voluntary sectors, as a practitioner, campaigner and academic. He is therefore well placed to provide advice as to the nature and needs across the diverse potential career destinations for our graduates. An alumnus of the MSc himself (1983/84) and having worked at Imperial for over 25 years, Bill has a long-standing connection with the course and its students.

Careers support

Current students and alumni can arrange individual appointments with Bill as necessary to discuss careers options. For those seeking a complete change of career the MSc is often the means of doing so. Nevertheless, applying for jobs in a new area can seem a bit daunting, but it is important to recognise the wealth of transferable skills that you will be able to bring from previous career experience, even if not obviously connected with the environment. A bit of reflection and focused discussion can help enormously in helping you make the most of all your skills and experience. Students can also draw inspiration from the experience of a wealth of varied alumni career paths.

Imperial College Careers Service

Bill works closely with the College Careers Service. Becky Guppy is CEP’s main point of contact in the Careers Service. Online and personal CV checks are available by appointment, and Becky and other Careers Service consultants can provide further advice on job hunting, CVs, mock interviews etc. Appointments can be booked via JobsLive. The Careers Service also provides a detailed Careers Handbook specifically for the MSc Environmental Technology students. CEP alumni have access to the College Careers Service for three years after graduating and CEP alumni are able to access the CEP jobs list and email network for a lifetime (!) through our fantastic international alumni network. Bill is happy to see past alumni if they need any careers advice later in life.

Careers seminars and events

Bill and Becky provide careers seminars throughout the year for MSc and PhD students. They also organise events, including a session specifically for 'Career Changers', and careers ‘speed-networking’. Careers 'speed-networking' gives students the opportunity to talk in small groups to different types of employers, companies and organisations to gain insight into the world of work in the environmental/sustainability field, and a chance to socialise and network with potential employers who might be recruiting (see photo). The opportunity to network with potential employers is a central part of the whole MSc course via weekly Policy seminars, where external speakers are invited to talk during the first and second terms.

Placement and Internship Advice

The Careers Service can also provide advice to students who wish to find internship opportunities. The Department and the Careers Service work actively to encourage students to find appropriate internships where there is clear benefit in doing so, while also fitting within the demands of the MSc programme.

The Alumni Network

Bill also works closely with the CEP Alumni Committee, who coordinate events and activities, bringing together CEP alumni. The MSc course has been running for 44 years with over 5,000 alumni and are our key resource. An important link between the alumni and careers is the email listserve network, where jobs and internships are advertised directly from employers to alumni. Many major employers actively use our network to recruit new staff on a regular basis.

Some years ago we established the College’s first postgraduate Alumni Mentoring Programme for our MSc Environmental Technology students.  Each year around half of the annual cohort (c.70+ of 150 students) are able to be mentored by CEP alumni who offer their services to support our current students.  This has proved to be a fantastic opportunity for students to benefit from the wisdom of our previous students, providing employment advice, networking opportunities and insight into career opportunities second to none. Our alumni benefit by staying engaged with the Centre and it helps build their own expertise and experience.