2,000 education professionals discuss ‘going green’

In an education landscape where employers are feeling the effects of worsening skills shortages, taking a more holistic approach is needed to attract the best professionals. Building a strong employee value proposition (EVP) revolves around a number of things, including workplace culture and social impact, but green credentials shouldn’t be overlooked.

Following our Hays UK Education Salary & Recruiting Trends 2023 guide – with insights gained from over 2,000 education professionals working across teaching, support, business, and leadership roles – we consider the influence of sustainability in education.

• Half (50%) of employers believe an organisation’s commitment to sustainability is important when attracting staff, while 71% of professionals consider it important when assessing a new role.
• Generation Z employees place the most importance on an organisation’s commitment to sustainability (80%).
• Over two-thirds of professionals (69%) expect the need for sustainability specialists and green skills to increase in the next 12 months.

Green credentials could attract staff

Staff retention is an ongoing battle in education. Our latest education salary guide revealed that 85% of employers faced skills shortages over the last year – a marked rise from 75% the year before that. Respondents claimed that low salaries (53%) and poor work-life balance (41%) were the two dominant drivers for job dissatisfaction. But with schools and MATs generally being limited with how much they can adjust salaries – and for many roles, workplace flexibility – employers should consider investing in different strategies to overcome skills shortages.

When looking to improve your EVP, it’s important to understand what motivates prospective candidates. And for many professionals, how a school approaches sustainability could play a significant part in this. According to our survey, 71% of staff consider an organisation’s commitment to sustainability important when assessing a new role. However, only half of the employers we surveyed (50%) believe an organisation’s commitment to sustainability is important when attracting staff, suggesting a disconnect with candidate expectations.
 

Upcoming teachers value sustainability most

Generation Z employees place the most importance on an organisation’s commitment to sustainability when seeking a new role (80%), followed by Generation Y (74%), Generation X (68%) and Baby Boomers (66%). With the upcoming generation of education professionals, Gen Z, prioritising social and environmental issues, an institution’s green credentials could be a competitive differentiator when seeking newly trained staff.

No matter the generation though, it appears the majority of job seekers are influenced by an organisation’s commitment to sustainable practices. Ignoring this trend could reduce the competitiveness of an institution’s hiring strategies.
 

Energy-efficient schools are a top priority

When asked to assess an organisation’s commitment to sustainability priorities, energy efficiency and infrastructure improvements came out on top at 87%, with waste reduction coming in second at 83%. This is perhaps unsurprising given the increased awareness of green building and retrofitting, the cost-saving potential, along with the wider push towards a circular economy.

Three-quarters (75%) assessed an employer’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint as being important, followed by an organisation’s climate change strategy (68%) and approach to net zero (67%). Green skills and careers was the lowest ranked sustainability priority (65%) – possibly alluding to a lack of cohesion regarding the green sector’s place in education – yet the majority still deem it an important commitment for their organisation.

For schools and MATs looking to bolster their careers education and provide guidance on green job options, our free-of-charge Inspire service gives educators the materials they need to deliver students insights into modern workplaces.

Green job opportunities in education

Sustainability is a relatively new field, but the escalating effects of climate change – together with ever-evolving demands in legislation and heightened green investment – have necessitated more green jobs. According to our Salary & Recruiting Trends guide, a third of employers predict an increased need for sustainability specialists and green skills over the next 12 months.

The outlook for green jobs in education would appear to be equally positive, with 69% of professionals stating that sustainability specialists in their organisation had either increased or stayed the same in the past year. The same percentage of professionals expect the need for sustainability specialists and green skills to either increase or stay the same in the next 12 months.

With the EVP benefits a dedicated sustainability function can bring schools and MATS, let alone the potential cost-savings, it’s easy to see why green professionals and skills are an important investment for the future.

Get access to our 2023 Education Salary & Recruiting Trends guide for the latest insights, helping you find and retain the staff you need.