Jobs that use Environmental Science (Year 11)

Environmental Science leads into careers in ecology and conservation, climate and earth science, sustainability and energy, planning and the built environment, water and waste, and farming and land use. This lesson plan will help you to show Year 11 students how to weigh careers and plan their next steps.

This lesson is designed to be delivered in 30 minutes as a teacher-led classroom activity.

Environmental Science isn't taught at GCSE, so this lesson is best hosted in a Biology, Chemistry, or Geography class - the subjects most likely to attract students drawn to Environmental Science. The lesson assumes no Environmental Science subject expertise from the host teacher.

This activity supports the following frameworks:

  • Gatsby Benchmark 4

This activity is suitable for Year 11 and features careers linked to the following subjects:

  • Environmental Science

This is one of three lesson plans designed for Year 11 teachers introducing students to Environmental Science:

These lesson plans will help you show students how Environmental Science connects to their future careers - whether or not they go on to study it at A-Level.

We recommend using this lesson plan at the very beginning of Year 11. Environmental Science isn't a GCSE, so most students arrive in Year 11 with little sense of where it can take them - and a narrow picture of "what environmental scientists do". The earlier they have a concrete picture of the careers Environmental Science opens up, the better the post-16 decisions they'll make later in the year.

Learning objectives

  • Students will understand that Environmental Science leads into a wide range of careers.
  • Students will be able to evaluate specific jobs that use Environmental Science.
  • Students will name a job that interests them and describe a next step towards it.

Before the lesson

  • You will need a computer connected to the internet and a classroom screen.
  • Open the Jobs that use Environmental Science page and have it ready on the screen.
  • Review the list of jobs that use Environmental Science. Pick 3 jobs to explore in more depth:
    • One job that's predictable for Environmental Science.
    • One job that's less predictable for Environmental Science.
    • One job that's reached through an apprenticeship.
  • View the detailed career page for those jobs so that you know what's there before the class starts.

During the lesson

1. What do you already know? (5 minutes)

  • Ask the class to suggest jobs that use Environmental Science and briefly explain how.
  • Write the suggestions on the board. Note whether the suggestions reach beyond conservation and consultancy into the wider range of careers Environmental Science supports.

2. Looking at jobs in depth (15 minutes)

  • Bring up the Jobs that use Environmental Science page on the classroom screen.
  • For each of the jobs you picked, open the full career page and discuss with the class:
    • What does the job involve day-to-day?
    • How does the job use Environmental Science skills?
    • What other subjects or skills are important?
    • What routes lead into the job - degree, apprenticeship, or direct entry?
  • Spend more time on one page if students are engaged, rather than rushing through all three.

3. Making it personal (10 minutes)

  • Ask students to pick one job from today's lesson that they could see themselves doing.
  • Go round the class, asking each student to name the job and answer:
    • What is it about the job that appeals to you most?
    • What would you need to do or find out next to move towards it?
  • Close by reminding students that knowing what you don't want is just as useful as knowing what you do want. Both help you make better post-16 choices.

After the lesson