Graduate recruitment continues despite uncertain times

Many environmental consultancies have recruited more graduates this year than last, but tough economic times mean that recruitment remains subdued, reports Erin Gill. Additional research by Owen Collins

Before recession hit in 2008, an increasing number of environmental consultancies had begun to recognise the need to develop graduate recruitment programmes. Whereas in the past many had relied on the traditional consultancy formula of hiring people with a few years’ on-the-job experience – preferably with an organisation from the consultancy’s target client base – by the late noughties competition for talent had become so fierce that hiring promising graduates and training them in the fine art of consultancy was beginning to be seen as a useful element within a wider recruitment strategy.

Large, engineering-led consultancies have long had the edge when it comes to planning ahead for recruitment and including graduates in the mix. Because consultancies such as Atkins, Arup, Mott MacDonald and others were already experienced in hiring graduate engineers, it was relatively simple to expand their recruitment programmes to include graduates with other ‘environmental’ qualifications. Some engineering-led firms also sponsor prizes given by universities to high-achieving students, although these focus frequently on traditional engineering disciplines rather than environmental fields.

A few major, non-engineering consultancies, such as RPS, also have a strong tradition of recruiting graduates and training them up. In fact, RPS goes a step further and helps university students meet the cost of their education by providing bursaries. In 2009, the consultancy awarded bursaries with a combined value of £105,000 to students attending 24 different universities.

RPS’ commitment to nurturing young talent is both admirable and unusual for the UK environmental consultancy sector. Despite the serious difficulties experienced by companies prior to recession in securing and retaining enough staff to meet clients’ needs, many large pure-play environmental and planning-dominated environmental consultancies continue to have little experience in hiring graduates. This is either because they stuck to the ‘classic’ recruitment strategy of searching for individuals with ‘industry’ experience or because recruitment was not managed in an organised, strategic fashion.

At the other end of the spectrum, some small environmental consultancies, often operating in one or two disciplinary niches or an a regional basis, have successfully expanded through graduate recruitment, in the process developing considerable skills in identifying good candidates and training them up. Such consultancies often approach local universities to enquire about bright young things, hiring one or two at a time.

Since recession hit what has happened to graduate recruitment within the UK environmental consultancy sector? In many cases, consultancies appear to have frozen or significantly curtailed graduate recruitment. This seems to have been particularly the case in 2009. This year, many environmental consultancies resumed recruiting for mid-level posts on a selective basis and have also taken on some graduates. In most cases, graduate recruitment appears subdued compared to pre-recession rates. Arcadis’ UK environmental business is a good illustration of this trend: it has taken on six graduates this year, hired none in 2009, but 20 in 2008.

A few consultancies have chosen to hire more graduates this year than in the past, taking advantage of the fact that there is less competition for the best candidates. RSK, ADAS and Thomson Ecology are among consultancies that have hired more candidates this year (see boxes).

Inevitably, the multidisciplinary nature of environmental consultancy means that graduates with a wide range of degrees are eligible to apply for positions. While a few consultancies report that they have not – and will not, for the foreseeable future – be hiring graduates with ecology degrees or with training that leads toward careers in air quality management or contaminated land site assessment/ remediation, other consultancies continue to hire people with exactly those qualifications and/or career backgrounds. In-demand skills include carbon management, economic planning, oceanography and other fields likely to be of use on offshore renewable projects.

Most consultancies appear to have only informal links with university graduate recruitment teams, while several mention that senior staff who act as guest or part-time lecturers on undergraduate and post-graduate programmes sometimes identify suitable graduates. Asked to name universities whose graduates they have, or plan to, hire a list of 42 institutions is quickly drawn up. Although some of the best-known universities are mentioned repeatedly, including the universities of Cambridge, Bristol, Southampton, Leeds, there are also less-celebrated names on the list, including London Southbank University and University of Wolverhampton. Universities that are particularly known for their focus on ‘hard’ sciences and technology are also prized by consultancies, including Cranfield, Imperial College London, and Queen’s University Belfast.

Given the continuing weaknesses and uncertainties facing the UK economy and the environmental consultancy sector, it is little surprise that consultancies report being inundated with applications for graduate positions and, perhaps as a result, show only moderate interest in developing more formal relationships with universities. Needless to say, graduates are recommended to approach consultancies directly, rather than wait for firms to make formal enquiries via university recruitment offices.

When it comes to starting salaries, many of the large consultancies offer graduates salaries in the range of £20-24,000. However, starting salaries at levels lower than this are not uncommon, with £15-19,000 not unheard of, especially for consultancies based outside south east England. It goes without saying that the graduate recruitment market is a tough one, but there remain some opportunities for the bright and determined.

This year, once again, Environment Analyst and environmental recruitment specialists Allen & York have teamed up to conduct the UK’s most comprehensive assessment of environmental and sustainability professionals’ salaries and careers. For more information and to participate in the survey anonymously please go to 2010 Sustainability Professionals Career and Salary Survey Sustainability Careers Survey .

Number of graduates recruited or to be recruited, 2010

• ADAS – 8, an increase from 2009 and 2008 when it appears to have been 3
• AEA – 5-10, fewer than prior to recession
• Aecom Environment – approx 25, fewer than previously
• Arcadis – 6, no graduates were recruited in 2009 and 2008
• Arup – 100 across whole business, more than were recruited in 2009 but fewer than in 2008. No exact number given for recruitment by environmental division, but it remains subdued
• Atkins – 17 in water and environmental business, greater than in 2009
• Environ – 4 internships, no formal graduate recruitment
• Halcrow – 4-5, lower than than previous years
• Mott MacDonald – 80 across UK business, lower than previous years
• Mouchel – 15, higher than in 2009 and 2008
• RPS – 80-100, an increase on 2009 and a modest increase compared to 2008
• RSK – 24-28, greater than previous years (see box next page)
• Scott Wilson – not yet set, but will be lower than previous years
• SKM Enviros – no graduate recruitment this year as recruitment is focusing on individuals with experience
• SLR – takes on students for work placements
• Thomson Ecology – 12 graduates, an increase on 8 in 2009 (see box left)
• WYG Environmental – 13 graduates
• WSP Environment and Energy – some graduate recruitment but not quantified, greater focus than in the past on placements and internships.

Thomson Ecology: more graduates recruited in 2010
Thomson Ecology is an example of a specialist consultancy that is using graduate recruitment as a way of growing, despite recession. The Guildford-based company also has offices in Leeds and Cardiff and hired twelve ecology recruits in January. This represents an increase on graduate recruitment of a year earlier, when 8 were hired. Further increases are expected, provided business development remains on track. All twelve of this year’s recruits were found to be of high quality and all accepted Thomson’s offer to stay on after their six month training period came to an end. In 2009, seven of the eight recruits were kept on. While Thomson hires graduates from a range of universities, its staff have ongoing links to Brighton and Roehampton.

RSK: prioritising graduate training
RSK has chosen to increase the number of graduates it recruits and to develop a more formal graduate training programme despite the current climate of economic uncertainty. In February, the Cheshire-headquartered consultancy took on 14 graduate trainees and this autumn will take another cohort of about 10. Twice-yearly intakes of graduates are planned for the foreseeable future. Speaking with Environment Analyst, RSK’s recruitment manager Zoe Lloyd explained that although the consultancy has hired graduates on an ad-hoc basis for many years, developing a more organised graduate recruitment programme was amongst a list of priorities identified following review of RSK’s human resources strategy in 2008. It took some time to move forward with the plan, but now that an organised programme has kicked off Lloyd reports it has been “far more successful than we expected”. RSK’s graduate trainees are taken on for six months. They are given access to senior managers and initially work in the central part of the business where they learn to understand the financial indicators RSK employs to make decisions. A focus on exposing graduates to the commercial realities of consultancy is essential, says Lloyd, as RSK has identified the need to ensure that more of its staff have strong commercial nous. Once graduates have had some time in the central team, opportunities for ongoing work in a particular part of RSK can be pursued, though a permanent position is not guaranteed and it is up to graduate trainees to prove they are employable. Several from the February 2010 intake secured permanent positions with a few months and some have moved overseas to take up secondments in RSK businesses elsewhere, including Azerbaijan. Lloyd is enthusiastic about graduate recruitment and the potential it offers RSK to ensure a well-rounded team with excellent technical and commercial skills. “Why let graduates work at McDonald’s and waste their skills?” she says. Indeed.