Reports examining employment in the green sector consistently highlight ongoing challenges around representation and inclusion across the workforce.
Many communities remain underrepresented, with limited access to the growing opportunities offered by green careers.
One promising route to improving diversity and inclusion is through apprenticeships. These programmes offer alternative pathways into the profession, supporting access to a wide range of educational levels, including graduate and postgraduate qualifications.
As part of the Society for the Environment’s (SocEnv) commitment to expanding access to professional registration, we have undertaken our first analysis of apprenticeships that align with our registration pathways. This work aims to:
- Identify the demographic breakdown of individuals starting relevant apprenticeships, helping us understand the future pipeline of potential registrants
- Explore areas of under-representation within apprenticeship starts
- Contribute to wider discussions on barriers to entry and how they might be addressed
- Compare the demographics of green apprenticeship starts with those of all apprenticeships in England (2023/24)
📄 Download the full report using the link on this page to explore the findings in detail.
When comparing the data from these specific apprenticeships to all apprenticeships nationally, several key insights emerge:
- A higher proportion of starts are among individuals aged 25 and over
- Lower representation of individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds
- Gender representation is often unbalanced across apprenticeship standards
- A notable proportion of apprentices report having a learning difficulty and/or disability
This analysis marks the beginning of a broader effort. We plan to repeat and expand the study later in 2025 to include a wider range of apprenticeship standards.
SocEnv is partner of the Diverse Sustainability Initiative DSI – This is a collaborative programme of work with the vision to transform diversity within the sustainability profession and wider environment sector. More details can be found here
Tom Cheek – SocEnv
