A warm welcome to the new ‘Think Again’ campaign championed by Vicki Hughes, President of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM).
Launched on 18 June, this initiative is challenging employers, educators and industry leaders to rethink how the sector talks about careers, attracts talent and opens doors for the next generation.
It calls on organisations to sign the ‘Think Again’ Pledge, which is at the centre of the 12-month Think Again Presidential Campaign. The aim is to create a movement of progressive companies willing to:
- Review the language used to describe the waste sector, the roles it offers and the opportunities it provides.
- Actively showcase the breadth of careers, people and opportunities available.
- Support clear pathways into the sector for new entrants and career returners.
- Champion inclusive, flexible and welcoming workplaces by sharing best practices.
- Share real stories that demonstrate the impact and opportunities the sector creates.
Many of the issues identified here also apply more broadly across the whole Environmental Biotech sector, including water and wastewater treatment and contaminated land remediation: the point about reviewing language is particularly close to EBNet’s views (see e.g. pieces on What is Environmental Biotechnology? and The Glamour Factor).
This isn’t just a matter of sensitivity or preference: lack of understanding and failure to communicate a vision has real effects on recruitment, funding and performance. Research commissioned by CIWM indicates that: ‘…Across the UK, more than half of employers in the sector are struggling to fill critical roles from drivers and operatives to technical specialists, environmental professionals and regulators. Over the next decade, the sector will need to recruit an estimated 68,000 people, while grappling with an ageing workforce in which only 5% of employees are aged 16–24’.
As CIWM’s President puts it: “If we want to build the workforce of the future, we must first help people think differently about the opportunities that exist today”. EBNet strongly supports this initiative and encourages its members to sign up.
