Green Consultants
| Module title | Green Consultants |
|---|---|
| Module code | GEO2449 |
| Academic year | 2021/2 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Michael Leyshon (Convenor) Mr Ian Osborne (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 11 | 3 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
With a greater requirement than ever before to manage resources more efficiently and sustainability, the ability for industry to remain profitable and still competitively deliver products and services is fast becoming a real challenge. Acting as trainee consultants you will learn how to interact and consult with professionals, and how to influence the management of key resources (such as waste and energy) by conducting audits. You will help to introduce strategies to manage these resources more effectively, increase profitability and positively affect the environment. The module reflects the interdisciplinary nature of research on the campus and is complimentary to a variety of other modules that focus on the environment more widely.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of the Green Consultants module is to enable students who have an interest in working in the environment and sustainability sector to develop the technical and transferable skill sets required, through a formal learning process before embarking on work experience with a relevant organisation. You will gain an invaluable experience of the sector and develop a range of transferable career skills.
Recognised by industry, Green Consultants involves facilitated experiential learning with a multi-disciplinary student body drawn from range of degrees and year groups. Here it offers you the opportunity to apply learnt consulting skills in a business setting by working alongside real clients in small consulting teams to deliver live business outputs on campus. Following on from this you will capitalise on these skills and experiences by undertaking a suitable industry-based placement.
As a trainee consultant you will learn how to carry out audits as well as develop skill sets essential to a behaviour change agent. Moreover, as this programme is business-orientated, professional, business and commercial awareness skills will also be further developed. Understanding and learning how to effect sustainable change in a business is another key part. The Green Consultants programme provides you with an amazing opportunity to develop your CV and build a greater understanding of this field of work making this a very competitive programme.
The Green Consultants programme is designed to give you:
- An awareness of application and selection methods for roles in the sector
- Basic level knowledge on a variety of audits (these are determined annually by our Industry Advisory Group and some content is available as online learning)
- Techniques for instigating organisational and behavioural change
- Skills and knowledge to be effective change agents within organisations
- An opportunity to apply learned materials in a business setting delivering real tangible outcomes
- The chance to develop consultancy level skill sets and experiences
- Increased confidence and effective approaches to operating in a professional context
- Valuable experience and opportunities within the environment sector
- Access to a support network of like-minded individuals passionate about creating environmental change
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Consult effectively with a client and develop a project brief
- 2. Select and utilise relevant tools for desired outcomes
- 3. Complete an on-campus project delivering live business outputs
- 4. Write a professional business report, and deliver a formal presentation of your project findings to senior stakeholders
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Identify and influence organisational and staff drivers
- 6. Describe the interaction of resources and products and the associated ecological rucksack
- 7. Understand the role of an environmental consultant in the work environment
- 8. Use behavioural profiling and successfully engage different personality types
- 9. Explain how cause and effect of business processes impact on the use of resources
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 10. Work confidently with professionals via face-to-face meetings, Skype and e-mail etc. to set up the project, and provide feedback and updates on project progress to the programmes clients and staff via formal meetings
- 11. Manage time and communicate effectively through having to deal with multiple stakeholders, managers, and the challenges associated with booking meetings and project creep, as well as managing client expectations
- 12. Work effectively in a team and deal with challenges such as motivation, time management, awareness, communication, responsibility and achievement of project deadlines
- 13. Act professionally in a business setting via the delivery of formal presentations to senior campus staff and clients and interaction with Green Consultants programme managers
- 14. Create your own professional network and gain commercial awareness as part of the syllabus, on-campus projects and internships
- 15. Apply valuable insight on the recruitment and selection processes of industry and support in finding placements from the programmes trainers
Syllabus plan
Autumn Term
Application and selection processes
- Submission of a CV tailored for the environment / sustainability sector
- Completion and submission of Team Working Role Model Questionnaire.
3-day training programme in December, including:
- Consultancy Practice
- How to be a sustainability consultant
- Working with a client
- Project management and working up a project brief
- Environmental Assessment – EMS and ISO14001
- Conducting Audits
- The importance of clear communications
- Behaviour Change and Change Management
- Presenting your results and recommendations
Spring Term
35-hour on-campus project
A 5-day on-campus project undertaken with the University of Exeter, FXPlus (Falmouth and Exeter estates management service) or FXU to put into practice what you have learnt during the training. Working in small consultancy project teams you consult directly with a client to develop a project brief, set up and attend management meetings and feedback progress to your clients and the Green Consultants management team. You will also produce a business report and give a formal presentation to the client and senior FXPlus staff and University of Exeter Penryn campus staff. Please note these are live projects with time critical and service dependant delivery.
Summer Term
Placement
The final part of the programme is a placement. This must be for a minimum of three weeks, and can be commenced from end of March onwards with 3 weeks completed prior to the submission of the online video interview (any final year students undertaking this module will need to undertake their placement alongside the on-campus project or over the Easter vacation period). The placement must have an environmental or sustainability focus. It can include working for a company that has a direct sustainability focus (e.g. The Met Office), or working with a company that has no direct sustainability focus, where you can set up or support a sustainability-related project, (e.g. working in Aldi and improving their packaging recycling programmes or setting up a food waste recycling programme in their canteen).
The placements won’t be provided directly by the programme. This requires you to start to use Linked In and other platforms to look for opportunities, explore the sector and establish professional networks. However, you will have support from a dedicated Green Consultants member of staff throughout this process.
Once the placement has been completed you then produce a reflective assessment on the organisation and their direct or indirect sustainability contribution, detailing your role and the skills / experience you gained from the position.
If the Covid-19 pandemic continues and restrictions on social distancing remain in force students will be able to undertake their placements virtually.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | 24 | 100 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 24 | Assessment centre and three-day Green Consultants training programme |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 2 | Client and Green Consultants management meetings for project updates and support, internship sourcing |
| Guided independent study | 24 | On-campus group projects |
| Placement/study abroad | 100 | Individual placement |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| CV, covering Letter and Team Working Role Model Questionnaire | CV 2 sides A4, covering Letter 1 side A4 and questionnaire no more than 30 minutes | 8, 12, 15 | Written |
| Group project management (Trello) | Updated Trello boards reflecting the activity of the group during the On Campus Project | 1, 3, 10-12, 15 | Written |
| Group project brief document | 2 pages max (using template) | 1, 5-9 | Written |
| Group interim project report | 1000 words | 2-4, 10-15 | Oral |
| Group interim project presentation | 20 minutes | 2-4, 10-15 | Oral |
| Placement | 3 weeks | 10-15 | Physical |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 0 | 70 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group final business report | 30 | 2000 words | 3-4, 8-9, 12 | Written |
| Group final client presentation | 20 | 20 minutes | 10, 13 | Oral |
| Online video interview reflecting on the placement undertaken, in relation to: Experiences and knowledge gained Insight into the sector and growth of professional network Development of skills and professionalism in the workplace Career planning and future action | 50 | 20 minutes maximum | 10-15 | Oral |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group final business report | Individual analysis of the group final business report | 3-4, 8-9, 12 | Case by case basis normally as soon as is practical |
| Group final client presentation | Individual presentation | 10, 13 | Case by case basis normally as soon as is practical |
| Online video interview | Online video interview | 10-15 | Case by case basis normally as soon as is practical |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to resubmit work as stipulated above. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.
The group final business report and presentation assessments are neither referable nor deferrable because of the group nature of the work. If you fail or miss through mitigation either of these assessments, you will be required to submit an analysis of the group final business report and an individual presentation to the Green Consultants management team as necessary.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- My Career Zone Resources – filter by CV, Applications, Assessment Centre etc
- My Career Zone Digital – online videos and training to support skills development
- Carbon Trust
- Supply Chain Sustainability School
- NAO Short Guide for Environmental Protection and Sustainability
The programme has a supporting ELE page offering additional learning as both pre-course reading and materials that support the three day training programme, your interactions with you clients, internship opportunities and recruitment and selection processes of the environmental sector.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 18/05/2016 |
| Last revision date | 03/02/2021 |
