Students Working with Local Businesses to Improve their Sustainability

Students at the University of Worcester are helping local businesses to be more sustainable.

They are working with a range of firms to assess their practices and make recommendations on changes to improve their sustainability. Now, the Business School is looking to offer the service out to more firms in the region.

Developed as a partnership project by the University's Business School placements office and Dr Kay Emblen-Perry, the University's Principal Lecturer in Sustainability in the Business School, the scheme has mutual benefits, giving students vital work experience and giving businesses valuable insight into how they could operate more sustainably.

Jo Murphy, Business Development Manager in the University's Business School, said: "The scheme has many benefits, both to ourselves and these firms. It has enabled us to engage and have impact in our local community. We have been able to share our staff and students' knowledge and passion in sustainability, whilst developing practical work experience skills in sustainability which are much needed by employers."

Three projects have been completed so far, which have seen students working with a range of firms across Worcestershire, including equipment manufacturers, food producers and marketing companies, with more in the pipeline.

Students work as sustainability consultants with the business. While all projects are tailored to the organisation, students begin with a sustainability audit to create an understanding of current business practices, which helps them establish a base line from which to monitor and measure improvement. The student consultants produce a report detailing their findings and recommended actions for improvement.

"Each project has been slightly different in terms of its scope," said Ms Murphy. "The Business School has an initial meeting to see what the organisation wants to achieve or what their sustainability concerns are. That could be anything from employee travel to energy consumption to distribution network to sustainability behaviour. We have found that following the assessment process, the student's advice has been acted upon, with them making some changes within their organisation."

Adam Sheward, Sustainability Lead at Worcester-based medical device manufacturer Kimal PLC, which has used the Student-Led Environmental Consultancy Programme, said: "The most valuable learning experience was what a great resource students can be in this situation. It solved a problem for us, and it offers the students some real-world work experience. It really is win-win and somewhat of an under-utilised resource. Other than that, obviously the output of the student's work has been incredibly useful, and has put us on a road to being a more sustainable company."

Environmental Management and Sustainability third year student, Henry Smith, who completed a sustainability audit at a local firm, said: "Two things were really valuable to me. One being the ability to get an understanding of the business's perspective on the environmental side and seeing how well or not they are dealing with it and how adapted or not they are to meet their future goals. The second learning experience I gained was experiencing an office environment for the first time. This has now given me the ability to confidently work in an office environment."

Companies interested in getting involved in the Student-Led Environmental Consultancy Programme should contact Laura Swain in the Business School: [email protected].