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Meeting the demand for trained personnel in Canada’s environmental sector

Growing interest in environmental issues has stimulated Canada’s environmental sector, creating new opportunities for green careers. The demand for trained personnel in the environmental sector is increasing faster than the pool of qualified candidates. Stimulating interest in the environment among young people as they make their initial career decisions is the key to increasing the supply of graduates from environmental programs.

Labour supply and demand in the environmental sector

The environmental sector includes a variety of occupations that “seek to manage the use of, impact on, and enhance the sustainability of the environment.” [1] Activities in the environmental sector include monitoring and governance, the development and supply of environmental products and services, and the dissemination of environmental information.

Environmental careers span a wide variety of sectors. Some examples include: Agronomist Botanist Conservation officer Eco tourist operator Ecologist Environmental analyst, chemist, economist, educator, engineer, epidemiologist, lawyer, planner, specialist Forester Geographer Geologist Landscape architect Meteorologist Oceanographer Park interpreter Petroleum engineer Pollution control technologist Policy analyst Researcher Restoration biologist Toxicologist

ECO Canada, an organization specializing in research, training and certification of environmental careers, estimates that 530,414 people were employed in the environmental sector in 2006.[2] The demand for environmental employees is expected to increase by 8.1%, reaching more than 570,000 in 2011.[3] While the environmental sector faces an increase in the demand for highly skilled professionals, the number of graduates from environmental post-secondary programs has declined in recent years. Post-secondary programs in environmental areas reported a 9% decline in graduates between 1999 and 2005, compared to a 24% increase in the overall number of university graduates in Canada.[4] Low enrolment and graduation numbers are expected to contribute to labour shortages in the environmental sector. For example, it is estimated that 3,195 job vacancies will remain unfilled this year in the meteorological field alone.[5]

The meteorological field is very broad and includes the following sub-specialties: Agrometeorology, Forest Meteorology, Operational Meteorology, Air Chemistry, Forensic Meteorology, Road Weather, Air Quality, Hydrometeorology, Solar Energy, Biometeorology, Meteorological Instrumentation, Meteorology Training, Boundary Layer, Meteorological Observation, Weather Modification, Broadcasting Weather Information, Marine Meteorology, Wind Energy, Climatology, Meteorology Service Delivery [6]

Factors influencing career choices of youth

In order to understand why young people do or do not choose to enrol in environmental programs at the post-secondary level, it is important to understand the factors that influence their initial career choices.

Numerous factors influence career choices among young people. Research suggests these factors can be grouped into eight categories: socializers; abilities and self-concept; career-related experiences; job-related factors; availability of career information; societal and cultural influences; demographic factors; and values and identity .[7]

Socializers refer to parents, family, teachers, counsellors, peers, friends and other role models who influence adolescents’ career decisions and choices. Socializers may influence young people’s decisions in a variety of ways. Specifically, choices might be affected by parental education, profession and work-related experience, parental and peer support, the degree to which parents are involved in the career decision-making process, stereotypes and perspectives that parents have regarding particular careers, career choices made by friends, suggestions and support from teachers and counsellors, as well as role models within the family, school or community. [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13] While schools can play an important role, studies suggest that when it comes to career decisions, students are more likely to turn to parents and friends than teachers.[14], [15]

Students’ abilities and their self-concept also influence their career decisions. Specifically, students’ career choices are influenced by their own beliefs about their skills and abilities, perceptions of barriers and outcome expectations, their interests and academic achievement, and motivation.[16], [17]

Career-related experiences can influence career choices. Young people who participate in career education and work-experience programs develop career skills and a better understanding of career decision-making processes and pathways.[18], [19] For example, students who participate in Earthwatch Institute's Student Challenge Awards Program show positive changes in their views of science and an increased interest in pursuing science-related education and career pathways.[20] Studies suggest that subject-specific programs such as math programs for gifted students, science and engineering outreach programs, and science programs for girls increase students’ interest and knowledge of subject area concepts and stimulate interest in related careers.[21], [22], [23], [24] Other meaningful career-related experiences include career fairs and workshops, experiential learning opportunities, volunteering and leadership activities, interactions with community members and mentoring.

Career choices are influenced by a number of societal and cultural factors, such as social policies, career stereotypes held by students and parents, and media. Furthermore, young people’s career interests and decisions are influenced by the norms and expectations of the dominant culture, their immediate family, their ethnic community and various educational environments.[25], [26]

Gender stereotypes can have a powerful influence on career decisions. For example, in a survey of occupational sex-role stereotypes conducted in the United Kingdom (U.K.), researchers observed that both boys and girls tend to prefer jobs that are dominated by their own sex and which they consider to be gender appropriate.[27]

The literature also identifies a number of job-related factors that influence young people’s career decision-making processes. Potential working schedules, level of stress involved, salary, benefits, opportunities for creativity and leadership, and associated status are all important factors. Studies also show that career decisions are affected by the current state of the labour market and prospects for future stability and security.[28] The required education and skill set also influence youth’s decision-making.[29], [30]

Availability of career information can have a large effect on students’ career choices and attitudes. Studies show that the majority of adolescents do not understand what decisions they need to make about their futures, how to search for career information or what steps are involved in career planning.[31]

Demographic factors such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender and disability status can all influence the career choices of young people. For example, the research indicates that there are differences among racial/ethnic groups regarding perceptions of opportunities and barriers related to career pathways.[32] Specifically, the barriers perceived by minority students include financial problems, pressure to perform academically, negative cultural stereotypes and discrimination in their future jobs.[33]

Finally, personal values and identity are among the influential factors that frame career choices. These include, for example: a desire to help others; to solve social and environmental issues; to make a contribution to the well-being of the local community; as well as emotional connections emerging from past experiences.[34],[35]

Factors influencing environmental career decision-making

Overall, factors that influence environmental career choices are similar to factors that affect career choices in general. However, there is one clear exception: young people pursuing green careers, as well as practitioners currently working in the field of environmental education, name environmental concern and personal values as one of the primary factors that influence their career interest.[36]

In a recent study by the Canadian Council on Learning, representatives from provincial ministries of education, universities, environmental education associations and career-education providers were interviewed regarding factors that influence career decision-making in general and environmental career decision-making in particular. While socializers and job-related factors were seen by interviewees as the most influential factor for career choices in general, the primary driving forces behind environmental career choices were personal values such as a sense of responsibility, community-mindedness, ethics, aesthetics and social awareness. The majority of the interviewees believed that students choose green careers primarily because of their personal interest in environmental issues, strong emotional connection toward the environment and passion about the environment and environmental issues.[37] (See Figure1)

Figure 1: Factors influencing youth’s career decisions Source: Canadian Council on Learning. Environmental Education in Secondary Schools: Career Choices and Perceptions. Report for ECO Canada. Vancouver, BC.

The study also indicates that the availability of career information and materials plays an important role. Because the environmental sector is very broad and includes multiple professions, students (and teachers) may not be familiar with many green occupations. In fact, some communities may not have examples of such careers, companies or local professionals who can serve as role models for young people.

Furthermore, adults working in the environmental field report that their personal experiences with the environment and with environmental issues stimulated their initial career interest. For example, a study of 363 adult environmental educators in the U.K., Canada and Australia identified the following factors that influenced their awareness of and interest in environmental issues:

• childhood and adult experiences of nature and the outdoors;
• people (family, children, parents and teachers);
• education (formal and informal educational activities);
• work-related activities;
• media;
• environmental and youth organizations (e.g. Sierra Club);
• negative environmental messages and experiences (e.g. pollution); and
• travel.[38]

Lessons in learning

The research on career choices in the environmental sector provides a number of lessons on how to encourage larger numbers of young people to pursue environmental careers in order to meet the need for skilled personnel in that sector.

Developing engagement and deep connection to the environment. Personal concern about the environment has been identified as one of the main motivators for students pursuing environmental careers. Experiential activities—such as outdoor programs, field trips and summer camps—can stimulate a sense of empowerment and interest in environmental work.

Developing a better understanding of the environmental sector and its career opportunities. Research suggests that students (and teachers) might have a limited understanding of the diversity of possibilities in the environmental sector as well as what is required to pursue such a career. Informational and experiential opportunities can help students move beyond stereotypical misconceptions about particular careers and develop a better understanding of the diverse possibilities in environmental sector.

A study of 400 Canadian adolescents reported that 40% of participants did not know where to locate information to assist with their career decision-making and 38% complained that there were too many sources of information. [39]

 

Educating students about the process of career decision-making. While a variety of career awareness tools and resources are available (e.g. career-education programs, workshops, conferences, websites, online databases and online workshops) students require guidance to navigate through and make sense of this information. Over-exposure to numerous career resources without proper guidance can lead to career indecision and anxiety. In addition to career-related information, many students also need assistance in learning how to engage in the process of career decision-making.

Focus on elementary- and middle-school years. Childhood outdoor and educational experiences often have an impact on future career choices and interest in environmental issues. Environmental education programs at the elementary and middle-school level can be powerful motivators, stimulating students’ interests and developing the values that lead to a career in the environmental field.

In order to meet Canada’s growing need for trained personnel in the environmental sector, it is important to provide meaningful environmental experiences and to facilitate informed career decision-making among young Canadians.

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