Join a conversation on how companies like ARAMARK are partnering with nonprofits like the Student Conservation Association to recruit and train jobseekers and students on the essentials of sustainability to build tomorrow's organization.
In the last four years, as the unemployment rate declined across the country, choices for jobseekers have also grown diverse. As organizations restructure, realign and redraw strategic plans to ensure the sustainability of their business models as well as their environment and communities, job descriptions and internship programs are evolving alongside.
As climate change creeps closer, the economy shifts gears and it becomes clear that natural resources are going to sustain us for only so many more years, talent development has emerged as a critical challenge for organizations. From understanding the complexities of toxicity, water use, conservation and zero waste to community development and regenerative business models, the demands for today's jobseeker are multi-fold.
Further, there appears to be a greater supply of qualified graduates compared to the demand for full-time sustainability professionals. So what is a student/professional looking to pursue a career in sustainability to do? And how are leading companies responding?
In 2011, ARAMARK, a global leader in professional services, hired 10 college students for its Sustainability Internship Program; during year two, in 2012 ARAMARK hired 17 sustainability interns. The program provides participants with hands-on job experience as they help implement sustainability solutions for ARAMARK clients at schools, universities, businesses and other locations across in the U.S. and the U.K.
In partnership with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), a national non-profit dedicated to building the next generation of conservation leaders, ARAMARK engages young people who are interested in careers that have a positive social and environmental impact. These young people also gain a practical understanding of how environmental sustainability operates within a business environment.
Sustainable Careers: A Discussion
"We recognize that our workforce is evolving and changing and we are looking at ways to better engage young people by designing career opportunities around our shared interests. Today's generation want to be connected to issues and concerns they care about such as corporate responsibility and sustainability," says Kathy Cacciola, ARAMARK's Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability. "Through this program, we are tapping into their enthusiasm and expertise to help implement client solutions in this area."
"Sustainability is not just good for the environment, but it's also good for business and essential to our future," says Patty Holland, Director of Recruiting for SCA. "The fact that many of the first- and second-year ARAMARK interns have been hired into full time jobs with the company and other corporations is indicative of the program's genuine value and the important need these interns are fulfilling."
So how does ARAMARK plan to evolve its internship program as sustainability becomes more and more integrated into its organizational framework? How does ARAMARK foresee the evolution of sustainability – and responsible careers? What role does sustainability-specific curriculum play in preparing students? And what are the key components of ARAMARK's and SCA's internship program that makes it such a success with participating students?
Join Kathy Cacciola, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability at ARAMARK and Patty Holland, Director of Recruiting for SCA, for an hour-long conversation on Twitter moderated by CSRwire's Editorial Director Aman Singh. Learn the key facts about ARAMARK's internship program and participate in a much-needed conversation on the do(s), don't(s), why(s) and how(s) of responsible careers.
Details:
Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Time: 1:00pm EST
Where: To register, drop us an email at aman@csrwire.com [1] and join us on Twitter at #SustyCareer
Accounts to follow: @KathyC_Susty, @aramark @the_sca @csrwire
About ARAMARK
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. The company is among FORTUNE magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies," and is recognized as one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 250,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at the company's website, www.aramark.com [2]. Follow us at www.facebook.com/aramark [3] and @aramark on Twitter.
About the Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is the only national organization that develops tomorrow's conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. Since 1957, SCA's hands-on practice of conservation service has helped to develop a new generation of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save the planet. SCA is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC with offices in Boise, ID, Charlestown, NH, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, and Seattle, WA. To learn more, visit www.thesca.org [4]. Follow us at www.facebook.com/studentconservationassociation [5] and @the_SCA on Twitter.
About CSRwire
CSRwire is the largest repository of voluntary disclosure in the world and the leading source of corporate social responsibility and sustainability news. Founded in 1999 to advance the movement toward a more economically-just and environmentally-sustainable society and away from single bottom line capitalism, CSRwire has paved the way for new standards of corporate citizenship, earning the international respect of thought leaders, business leaders, academics, philanthropists, activists and the media community.
CSRwire content reaches a broad and highly engaged audience of over 87 million readers in the international CSR/ESG market. With more than 7,500 corporate, nonprofit and public sector members distributing news, CSRwire provides comprehensive coverage in 25 CSR-related categories complimenting traditional newswire services with its customized global distribution, daily alerts, events calendar, thought-provoking editorials, social media channels, popular Talkback blog, report distribution, and searchable archives.