NERCOUTE: Evaluating a ‘people like me’ pilot intervention with UK schoolchildren to promote diversity in the environmental science workforce

The environmental sciences face a significant challenge in attracting students from minority ethnic and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, a problem acutely obvious at the postgraduate level. The Iapetus doctoral training partnership (DTP) has introduced recruitment and scholarship schemes to address this issue, but recruitment from these groups remains low. One key factor is that many students from under-represented backgrounds do not consider careers in environmental sciences. The limited awareness of environmental science career paths and the lack of relatable role models contribute to this problem. To tackle this, our project aims to change school pupils' perceptions of environmental science careers and eventually increase the pool of eligible doctoral applicants from these focal groups. The project will host a pilot event, focusing on 12 to 13-year-old students from schools in disadvantaged and ethnically diverse areas. This age group was chosen because it is a critical time in a young person’s education, when they begin to make decisions that could limit future career options. By engaging them early on, we aim to broaden their horizons and inspire them to consider environmental science careers as both viable and rewarding. The event will feature videos that showcase a diverse range of environmental scientists working in various sectors, such as public, private, charitable, and regulatory fields. These videos are designed to inspire students by showing them that environmental science offers many career possibilities, regardless of background. Alongside the videos, the event will include interactive activities and challenges that will help students connect theoretical knowledge with real-world applications, enabling them to envision themselves in environmental science careers. Students will also engage in discussions with environmental scientists who can answer their questions and provide further insights into their careers. This engagement with relatable role models will be crucial in breaking down barriers to entry for these under-represented groups. In addition, the project will involve a workshop where environmental scientists from under-represented backgrounds will collaborate with the DTP management team to co-create a theory of change. This framework will enable us to build a shared understanding of the long-term change we want to see and to identify concrete actions to realise that change. Our workshop will allow participants to explore barriers they faced and ways to remove them, ensuring that the DTP is more accessible and welcoming to all. We will share our findings with other NERC DTPs and other doctoral programmes. The expected outcomes of the project include three inspiring videos that highlight diverse environmental science careers and role models, a scalable engagement event model that can be expanded across the DTP network and beyond, and a theory of change that will guide efforts to increase diversity in environmental science education and careers. Ultimately, this project seeks to shift perceptions, inspire a more diverse generation of environmental scientists, and leave a lasting impact on how these careers are viewed by under-represented groups. It will also foster long-term change by providing a scalable framework to guide future initiatives that seek to create a more inclusive pipeline for the environmental science workforce.