It is World Health Day today. In recent years this has probably gone a little unnoticed but with the increasing focus on health since the pandemic it may not pass under the radar!
This year the World Health Organisation are focusing on ‘Our Planet, Our Health’ and looking at a future with clean water, clean air and food are available to all, worldwide.
The World Health Organisation estimates that there are around 13 million deaths per year from unavoidable environmental causes so the focus really is on the urgent action to keep the human race and the planet healthy.
But how does this impact careers? We all know when we mention health in the UK to students the first jobs that they think of are often related to the NHS. Whilst the NHS was the top STEM Employer in 2021 there are so many more careers on offer other than a Doctor and a Nurse.
Within the NHS alone there are over 350 different careers, all impacting the health and well being of the UK population. You can find out more at NHS Careers. https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/
But we all know health is more than just popping to the doctors and curing our illnesses. There is a huge industry around our health and well being here in the UK.
There are those in the fitness industry, working in gyms, personal trainers and nutritionists. There are those in the food industry developing the food on our shelves. Those in agriculture growing the food we eat. In the UK we produce 60% of domestic food consumption, although some of this is exported, so about 45% of the food we consume is produced in the UK.
When it comes to a healthy planet, we already know there is a surge in ‘green careers’ with the UK estimating that there will be over 700,000 new green jobs before 2030 (COP26 figures) and the Green Jobs Task Force launching in 2020. We have seen to government in the last few days cement development of wind and nuclear energy so that we are less reliant on gas and oil.
By 2030 you won’t be able to purchase a new combustion engine car! You can actually get an apprenticeship now at Tesla in Birmingham! (Probably my son’s dream job as he is obsessed by Tesla, so much so that a day out is a trip to the charging bay locally!) This goal in the UK is an amazing milestone as transport accounts for 20% of global carbon emissions.
So, what classes as a green job? There are so many! You could be an Air Quality Engineer or an Agricultural and Food Scientist. You might head towards the energy sector and become an Energy Analyst or my personal favourite a Wind Manager. If nature if your thing then there are Conservation Scientists and Environmental Consultants employed by large construction firms for example.
As a careers adviser it is important that I look at future careers and support students as they choose options. Current labour market trends and information is really useful for the here and now and can help to see where growth industries are, but we need to be looking at the future.
When I began life as a careers adviser there was no such thing as a social media manager, twitter was something birds did and the only photos I took I had to wait 7 days to see! Back then I am not sure many of us could predict what 2022 would look like, even Marty McFly got it wrong! However, with governments focusing on COP26, green energy and world pandemics the focus on Health is probably something we can hedge our bets on. The Planet is changing and change is needed, it is our job to support our students through that change.
If you want more advice on green careers send us an email and we can send you some links to useful websites.