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Student perceptions of environmental management : profiling the future environmental manager

journal contribution
posted on 2013-01-01, 00:00 authored by Belinda ChristieBelinda Christie, Kelly MillerKelly Miller, J Kirkhope
Large growth is expected in the environment industry in coming decades; especially in Australia where the government's new price on carbon began in July 2012. This growth inevitably raises the question of who will fill new environmental management roles. This article presents the perceptions and expectations of students who are beginning to think about a possible career in this sector; what influences their decision-making and how do they view a career as an environmental manager? Without this information the environment sector will be under prepared for the expectations of incoming recruits and may lose valued students, graduates and employees. We found that prospective environmental managers are passionate and committed individuals who express a desire to help create a better world. They fail, however, to adequately articulate what environmental management entails, and have a poor understanding of the industry. They appear to be worried about financial security in what they see as a growing, but not yet fully mature, industry. The environment sector must therefore take the opportunity to engage these future environmental managers, and to communicate where the field will lead and how it can help this next generation achieve their aspirations to ‘save the planet’.

History

Journal

Australasian journal of environmental management

Volume

20

Issue

2

Pagination

147 - 160

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Location

London, Eng.

ISSN

1448-6563

eISSN

2159-5356

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2013, Taylor & Francis