Empowering Tomorrow: Insights from the Green Skills Career Fair

Love Design Studio recently hosted the Green Skills Career Fair in Islington, delivering an event that aimed to broaden the horizons of young minds and empower them to consider sustainable career paths. The goal was clear yet ambitious: to showcase the diverse array of opportunities within the sustainability sector and inspire the next generation of eco-conscious leaders.

Curated by Love Design Studio and Shade the UK, the fair brought together a rich tapestry of exhibitors spanning various industries, from engineering and architecture to finance and environmental governance. The event not only exposed attendees to a myriad of career options but also emphasized that sustainability isn't confined to one specific path—it's a versatile and accessible field open to all.

What did you do in the Green Skills Career Fair and what were the key outcomes?

The main purpose of the event was to provide young people  in Islington with the opportunity to expand their potential career choices by exploring options within the sustainability world. We wanted them to  hear stories from people working within the industry on how they got here!

Love Design Studio and Shade the UK worked to curate a diverse and comprehensive list of exhibitors for the event to maximise this. The skillset and careers of those attending ranged from engineers and architects down to people from the banking world and within environmental and social governance (ESG) teams in their respective companies.

I think that in the end there was a very good mix and range of exhibitors, which was key in highlighting to students that a) sustainability as a career choice IS a viable option, b) a career within sustainability can look very different for different people, and that you should not feel pressured to pursue highly technical pathways to do so!

Each exhibitor truly engaged with the students regarding their work and shared their life stories and career journeys, and in doing so has hopefully  eased some anxieties among the students regarding the future and has empowered them to consider a green skills career for the future.

How did the fair contribute to promoting sustainability and environmental awareness?

Given the diversity of exhibitors and industries present at the event, I believe the fair managed to nicely address all the different facets that sustainability (and climate change) entail.

For example we had exhibitors focused solely on campaigning and activism, sharing with students resources regarding climate change and associated impacts on humans. Alternatively, we had people on the other end of the spectrum, more focused on the solutions and the ‘how to’ adapt to climate change, such as energy assessors describing their work in making buildings more efficient, or architects discussing sustainable construction materials used to reduce waste.

I think the fair did a good job in highlighting and promoting sustainability and environmental awareness by bringing these diverse areas of expertise together in one space and allowing students to see how different problems (or the same problem!) can be solved in different ways.

Were there any notable speakers, exhibitors or workshops that left a lasting impression?

I have to say that some important figures did attend the event! We had two local councillors, Praful Nargund and Rowena Champion, with whom we have been in touch during the logistics stage and were very keen in promoting green skills within their local areas. Regarding exhibitors,  everyone did a fantastic job in providing something interactive for students to engage with at their respective stall, I think this was key in making an impression, and  drawing their attention towards what the world of sustainability is like.

Did attendees express any particular areas of interest or demand for future events?

I am not personally aware  of any stated preferences from the students themselves, but I understand from conversations with other exhibitors that some attendees had very different career expectations before the fair.

Some exhibitors commented that many students were predominantly interested in the traditional high-earning jobs like lawyers, pilots (!) and bankers. I think the event definitely shifted their perspective, and conversations overheard among the students also transitioned towards sustainability as the event went on!

We also had some students who were already interested in the sustainability and just wanted to explore and ask questions about our specific paths. Following the event we have received very positive comments from the assistant headteacher at  EGA, and there is definitely interest in repeating such event down the line. We look forward to see the official results from the feedback survey.

Are there any plans for another fair in the pipeline? If so, where will it be held?

We are currently holding internal discussions within Love Design Studio and Shade the UK regarding the possibility of holding similar fairs on a more regular basis (like every 2-months or so for example) given the success of this one!

Potentially, if done again at EGA, we would aim to expand to other year groups to reach a wider audience. Of course, we are also considering reaching out to other schools within Islington and other London boroughs, so stay tuned!