Archive for October, 2008

SustainabilityLive! 2009 conference announced

October 28, 2008 at 11:20 am · Filed under Environment, Green News, ethical jobs ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Sustainable business is the future, and if you want to be part of it, in a green job or an ethical career, it pays to keep up with the latest developments in the sector.  A good way to stay up to date with all that’s going on in the world of sustainable business, and find out more about the companies potentially offering environmental careers, is to get involved with the environmental or sustainable business conferences that are becoming more frequent.

SustainabilityLive! 2009 was announced this October.  It is a conference that last year attracted over 8,000 people, which hosts a range of seminars and exhibits about green businesses and how businesses can be more efficient and environmentally friendly.

The conference is held in partnership with organisations such as WaterAid and UK Trade and Investment.  It is free to attend, and the call for papers is now open.  Organisers say that the conference will be a good place to find out more about green business or attract business to your company if you are already working in the sector.

Events over the course of the conference include Environmental Technology (ET), where information on environmental certification, consultancy, management systems and training for businesses is available.  Also on the agenda is the International Water and Effluent Exhibition (IWEX), the UK’s largest event for water and waste water professionals.

The National Energy Management Exhibition (NEMEX) is also a feature of the conference, which last year attracted multinational corporations, small businesses and public sector employees alike to discuss and share information on renewable energy solutions.

New to this year’s conference is Sustainable Business – The Event.  This event, described as “ground breaking” by organisers, aims to provide a platform on which businesses in any sector, of any size, can be involved in the sustainability agenda.

SustainabilityLive! will be held at NEC Birmingham on 19th-21st May 2009.  For bookings and more information you can visit their website.

Keeping up with the green business revolution is a step towards furthering your environmental career or finding your dream green job. Watch this space  at JuicyJobs.biz for more developments like this.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs.biz Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Government plan to improve Third Sector skills

October 28, 2008 at 11:13 am · Filed under Green News, ethical jobs, green jobs ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Good news for anyone working in a charity job or pursuing an ethical career emerged recently.  The Government announced on 21st October that it will create a new body, known as the Third Sector Skills Body, to address gaps in skills in charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups.

The skills body will draw the work of sector skills councils together to create and provide access to learning opportunities for third sector staff and those with volunteering jobs.  The body will also make sure that the third sector is properly included in the considerations of National Occupational Standards, Apprenticeship Frameworks and Sector Qualification Strategies.

£2.5 million in total will be poured into the new skills body by the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) by 2011.  The body will be run by a board made up of representatives from the sector’s employers.

Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships, Lord Young said in a statement:

“The third sector skills body will be a real step change to how charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups get the skills they need.

“[The body] will link the third sector in to the complete national skills framework and influence the development of skills support services for the benefit of the sector.”

Kevin Brennan, Minister for the Third Sector said that the new body would pull the standards of the third sector’s skills up to the same level as the public and private sectors, and that this is fitting due to the role of third sector organisations in some of societies most important issues.

He added: “Whether they are multi-million pound global operations or small community groups, having employees and volunteers with the right skills to get the job done is essential.”

Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) welcomed the creation of the new skills body as an acknowledgement of the important role of the third sector.

The development is great news for anyone looking to kick start an ethical career.  Working in a volunteering job can be a great way to gain experience and make useful contacts, but regulation of skills and training within the third sector has at times tainted employer’s opinions of volunteering work as unprofessional.  To stay informed of opportunities and developments like these, keep an eye on JuicyJobs news.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs.biz Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Britain becomes world leader in offshore wind power

October 28, 2008 at 11:09 am · Filed under Green News ·Tagged , , , , ,

Sustainable energy is one of the most cutting edge technologies in today’s world.  If you are looking to work in energy production, but want a green job, green power such as wind power could be the right place for you. As well as being part of an ethical career, working in renewable energy will make you part of one of the most important changes to UK industry today, with heads of green businesses and environmentalists increasingly being involved in government consultations.

On 21st October, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that Britain has become the largest generator of offshore wind in the world, overtaking former global leader Denmark.

Speaking via video message to the British Wind Energy Association’s (BWEA) conference, Mr Brown said that Britain has the best wind and wave resources in Europe. Since 2005, gigawatts of installed wind capacity have more than tripled.

Mr Brown added his prediction that by 2030, “the North Sea will become to offshore wind what the Gulf of Arabia is to oil production.”

Mike O’Brian, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, revealed plans for five more offshore wind farms which are currently under construction.

There are also plans up for approval at the Department to increase the energy produced by offshore wind to 25 gigawatts in the future, which could potentially power every home in the UK.

Conversely, Nick Rau, renewable energy campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said that more could still be done by the government to build up renewable energy sources.  He claimed that the UK was still near the bottom of the European league for renewable energy, and that the government was still attempting to “wriggle out of” European renewable energy targets.

Working in renewable energy is one of the biggest opportunities to be part of an expanding technology.  As the announcement of the plans for more wind energy shows, green energy is increasingly becoming a political topic that the major parties are using to compete with each other.  If you are looking to move into an environmental career, a job in renewable energy would put you at the centre of one of the today’s hottest topics.  Keep abreast with environmental news and green job opportunities by checking JuicyJobs.biz regularly!

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs.biz Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Top Tips: Interview dos and don’ts

October 28, 2008 at 11:04 am · Filed under Interviews ·Tagged , , , ,

The search for a fantastic green job can be long and difficult, so don’t ruin all your hard work by falling at the final hurdle; the interview. Your great ethical job could lie just the other side of that crucial hour, so read this JuicyJobs guide to shining in an interview, and get out there and start your ethical career!

DO:

  • Dress smartly.  The ethical and environmental sector is just as professional as any other sector, so suits or smart skirts are a must, unless your prospective employer has specifically instructed you to be “smart/casual”.  Remember: dressing too smartly will make you look, at the worst, very conscientious, which is not a bad thing.  Dressing too scruffily will make you look as if you’re not taking the job seriously.  What impression would you rather give?
  • Make eye contact. Look at your interviewer when they are speaking to you.  Looking all around the room will give the impression that you are not listening and are unable to focus, which does not bode well for your employability score.  Looking at your interviewer will show you to be confident, as well as a good communicator, and will help you to relax, as your interviewer will appear less intimidating.
  • Ask a question. Try to think of one about the job role, which has not been covered by the job description or anything the interviewer has said.  A simple “you mentioned this earlier; can you tell me more about that?” makes you appear interested, eager and a good listener.  Not asking any questions at all might make you appear too nervous, give the impression that you have not thought about the role properly.
  • Relax. The interviewer is expecting you to be nervous, but will be interested to see how you handle it. So, show them what you are made of! Shake hands, make pleasantries, and smile.  Be friendly but professional, in order to show the interviewer how you will deal with clients and customers if you are successful.

DON’T:

  • Ask difficult questions. The interview is not the place to pick the organisation apart by its weak points.  A question that challenges the organisation or the interviewer may show you to be bright, but gives the impression that you are not an ally of the organisation. Keep the questions reasonably light and relevant, but don’t go in for the kill!
  • Leave on your mobile phone. Believe it or not, people do, and some even answer their phones, in the mistaken belief that the interviewer will think their interviewee is in high demand.  This is not the effect it has; a bleeping phone in an interview, especially if you attend to it, makes you look inattentive and a little rude.
  • Give off bad signals. Crossing your arms, fidgeting and looking at the floor or out of the window are bad moves.  You will look nervous, or as if you are not paying attention. Be aware of what your body is doing.  Sitting and leaning forward, nodding, smiling and keeping hands still are all signs of a professional.

Following these rules is so simple, and yet could be the key to getting your dream green job or getting you a step further in your ethical career.  Keep to these few things and you can’t go wrong, and check JuicyJobs for more great advice and news on ethical and environmental jobs.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs.biz Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Ed Milliband announces plans to create “feed-in” renewable energy tariff

October 28, 2008 at 10:56 am · Filed under Environment, ethical jobs, green jobs ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Ethical careers, socially responsible companies and green jobs are the new black.  The environmental and ethical portion of the market is slicker and more professional than ever before.  Going green is big business, and is an even bigger issue in UK politics.

The hot topics of the year, debated passionately as the government fight off fears of a Conservative take over next spring, are the financial crisis and energy prices, but anyone can see that the two are inextricably linked.  Energy prices must come down, or use of energy reduced, or alternative sources sought, in order to ease the pressure of the credit crunch.

If you are working in a green job, or looking to break into a sustainable career, it will do your career prospects the world of good to keep up with which ministers say what about climate change and energy production.  Employers love a well-informed and passionate member of staff, so check out this latest green morsel of information.

The Secretary for Energy and Climate Change Ed Milliband announced in his first House of Commons statement on 16th October his plans to introduce an amendment to the Energy Bill that will allow small scale renewable energy to be fed into the national grid.

This “feed-in” approach is something of a “power-to-the-people” scheme, allowing small producers of renewable energy electricity to sell energy into the system, placing the responsibility both with the energy companies to source a percentage of their energy from sustainable sources, and giving “the people” a chance to produce their own renewable energy to contribute to reducing the UK’s carbon footprint.  The scheme is highly recommended by green organisation such as Friends of the Earth.

Mr Milliband also committed the UK to reducing CO2 emissions to 80% of what they were in 1990 by 2050, and outlined how he would stop energy companies forcing customers to overpay on pre-payment meters.

The amendment will be debated in the House of Lords next week, and will build upon previous environmental legislation designed to make the UK greener.

Keep checking JuicyJobs for more news like this, and impress your employer or interviewer to get hold of that hot green job!

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs.biz Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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