Charnwood Champions: A Passport to Inclusive Environmental Science

The UK environmental science sector continues to face a significant diversity crisis. While some STEM fields have made progress, environmental sciences remain among the least diverse: fewer than 12% of undergraduates on environment-related courses identify as non-white, dropping below 9% at postgraduate level, and women account for less than 13% of inventors in environment-related technologies. Socio-economic background also plays a crucial role, with individuals from lower-income households far less likely to enter or advance in environmental science careers. Charnwood Champions directly supports NERC’s priority to diversify the environmental science workforce by introducing a structured, progressive model for environmental engagement and education. Based in Leicester and Leicestershire, one of the UK’s most diverse regions and home to the country’s first "plural" city, the project responds to intersecting socio-economic challenges across the region, including high deprivation, limited access to green space, and lower-than-average education and employment levels. These factors make Charnwood an ideal setting to pilot inclusive, place-based environmental education initiatives. Central to our approach is a “Passport” framework, allowing participants to build environmental knowledge and skills over time. This addresses a common shortcoming of many diversity initiatives: a lack of sustained, longitudinal engagement. Rather than offering one-off experiences, our model supports participation from early years through to higher education or employment, creating a robust and diverse pipeline into environmental science. The project will broaden participation in the environmental workforce by: Developing a structured passport model for progressive engagement and environmental education. Partnering with local institutions, organisations, and underrepresented communities. Showcasing diverse environmental science role models, aligned with NERC’s goals. Creating visible, supported pathways into green careers. Evaluating impact and sharing learning across the NERC community. Our project also addresses wider national workforce priorities. The Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy (2022) affirms that “green skills will be needed in every job,” signalling the urgency of embedding sustainability across all education and employment sectors. Yet young people from underrepresented backgrounds are not only excluded from environmental careers—they are not being adequately prepared for the broader green economy. Our work ensures these learners are supported early and continuously. Traditional STEM pathways have long struggled to attract diverse participation. We plan on integrating SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) disciplines into our programme to outcome a more inclusive, relevant route forward. A Youth Shadow Panel recently highlighted the lack of climate and nature education in schools and called for sustainability to be taught across all subjects through real-world, project-based learning. Our approach directly responds to this, ensuring environmental education is locally grounded, nationally scalable, and aligned with future workforce needs. Charnwood Champions builds on a strong civic partnership between Loughborough University, the University of Leicester, De Montfort University, local authorities, school academy trusts and the Charnwood Forest Geopark, who are working together to advance a place-based agenda focused on education, sustainability, and green skills. The Geopark, an aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark, plays a vital role in connecting people to the region’s internationally significant geological and ecological heritage. Together, we will deliver a novel educational programme featuring free curriculum-linked resources and integrated green skills training extending from geology to poetry. This will support green skills development, inspire environmental learning, promote inclusive access to nature, and foster long-term stewardship of the local landscape.