“Helping students see their place in the world”: integrating sustainability into career guidance at the University of Reading

At the University of Reading, careers consultant Alexandra Baker has been exploring how sustainability and social justice can become natural, everyday elements of career guidance. In this interview, she reflects on her personal and professional journey – from her early activism as a teenager to her current role helping students connect their career ambitions with a sense of purpose and responsibility towards the planet. Her approach demonstrates how “green guidance” can connect individual career development with universities’ wider responsibilities in shaping a just and sustainable society. The interview was conducted by Tomas Sprlak.

Green Guidance: Thank you, Alexandra. To start, could you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey towards green guidance?

Alexandra Baker: I’m Alexandra Baker, a careers consultant at the University of Reading. I’ve worked in the career field since 2016, and as a careers consultant – which I suppose is the UK equivalent of a careers counsellor – since 2022.

On a personal level, my interest in sustainability and social justice has been present since my teenage years. I was one of those teenagers who joined Amnesty International, who told my parents, “No, that goes in the recycling bin!” At school, I tried to get people to recycle more and think about food waste. That commitment faded a bit in my twenties, as adult life got busy, but it resurfaced when I began working in careers. It reminded me of my core values.

My first role in the careers team was as a placement coordinator, initially focusing on supporting geography students. There was a natural link between their studies and the types of placements they pursued. But that job focused on helping students get placements and internships rather than exploring why they wanted them. That was one reason I later applied for a promotion – to move into a role that allowed for genuine guidance.

Since then, I’ve gradually been able to shape my work. Around two years ago, I really started to think about how to embed sustainability in my teaching and in my guidance practice. That journey eventually led me onto a train to Nancy for the Green Guidance training week – a week full of inspiration and knowledge, and also confirmation that what I was doing wasn’t naïve or irrelevant. It gave me confidence to talk more openly about my practice and to realise there are others who share these beliefs. In the UK, that sense of community around this topic can sometimes feel quite rare.

Green Guidance: The University of Reading already has a strong focus on sustainability. How does this influence your teaching and career services?

Alexandra Baker: Reading has long been known for its work on sustainability and climate science. That context really legitimises what I do. I’m working in a university that’s deeply committed to research on climate change, environmental sustainability, financial sustainability, and international development – essentially, the whole spectrum of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Because of that, students find it natural to talk about these issues. It feels coherent: you can’t walk across campus without seeing evidence of the university’s commitment to creating a more sustainable and just world.

“Green guidance isn’t just about caring for the planet – it’s inseparable from social justice. You can’t separate climate change from inequality.”

Green Guidance: You are identified as “Green Careers Lead” within your careers team. Could you tell us more about your practice? How do you integrate green guidance?

Alexandra Baker: I’d say I integrate it in two main ways – through teaching and through one-to-one guidance.

In my lectures and seminars, I always look for ways to weave it in. For example, when we explore career curiosity or how students can discover what interests them, I use the Sustainable Development Goals as a framework. We look at global challenges, for example inequality, life below water, sustainable cities – and ask: What kinds of careers exist in this space? If we discuss inequality, what roles help reduce it? If we discuss life below water or in the sea, how does that connect to careers in hydrology or marine science?

The SDGs touch every part of life, which means every sector and industry can be viewed through that lens. This allows us to discuss career exploration not only in terms of skills and interests, but also in relation to values and contribution. Where does the desire to contribute to the SDGs sit among your priorities?

At the same time, I try to balance this with professional impartiality. Personally, I believe everyone should consider the impact of their career choices on the world – but as a careers consultant, I can’t impose that. The role isn’t to push people down certain routes, but to make sure the topic has a place in the conversation. I like how Tristram Hooley describes this: ensuring the issue has visibility and identity within wider careers work.

In my sessions for second-year students, for example, we discuss what life as a graduate might look like – and what matters most to them. I introduce themes such as inequality, diversity, inclusion, and discrimination, or the gender pay gap. For me, green guidance is really about this broad view: sustainability and care for the planet, yes, but inseparable from social justice. You can’t separate environmental from social issues, because climate change disproportionately affects the most disadvantaged parts of the world.

So I try to meet the university’s academic aims while finding authentic ways – theories, frameworks, and research – to bring in green guidance principles and help students develop both career and life skills.

When it comes to one-to-one guidance, things are more variable. We meet students from all disciplines, often only once for a short session. Someone might just want help with a CV. But even then, if I ask, “What kind of job are you applying for?” and they’re unsure, I can follow with, “What’s important to you? What would you like your work to contribute?”

These conversations are a chance to show that you don’t have to give up a good career to do good. You can combine both. Some students respond eagerly; others feel it’s irrelevant or say, “That’s not my problem.” Personally, I’d love to challenge that view – but professionally, I have to respect where they are. Still, we have a responsibility, even within impartiality, to ask: “Tell me more about that – why isn’t it important to you?” That’s part of being human as much as being a career professional.

“You don’t have to give up a good career to do good. It’s about understanding how you can combine the two.”

Green Guidance: What impact do you hope this work will have?

Alexandra Baker: That’s a difficult question! The utopian vision is that every university student, as part of their personal and professional development, would engage deeply with these questions – and gain the confidence to go into the world and ask tough questions of employers and clients to create change.

Realistically, that won’t happen overnight – probably not even in my lifetime. So I ask myself: What can I do? I can make sure it’s on the agenda in my own practice. I can propose that our team of careers consultants collectively commit to integrating this dimension into our work.

If every student I meet leaves having been asked at least once, “How do you want your work to contribute to the world?” – then maybe that’s 100, 200, 500 people thinking differently. And if that happens across many universities, it could make a real difference.

At Reading, we have a genuine opportunity to connect career development with academic research on sustainability. The challenge is coordinating everything so that academics and careers staff work together.

Green Guidance: Thank you – that’s a strong message of hope and meaning. Would you like to expand on that?

Alexandra Baker: Yes. In many universities, employability and career development are treated as add-ons – something done because institutions are judged by graduate outcomes. But career development can be a powerful tool for change.

I’m not a climate scientist or a human-rights lawyer. I’m a coach – a skilled listener who helps people reflect on what matters to them and how to align that with their career choices. I see my role as a bridge between what students learn at university and how they bring that knowledge and awareness into the world of work. That connection could, and should, be stronger.

Green Guidance: How do you connect students with sustainable and meaningful opportunities in the labour market or civic life?

Alexandra Baker: As a university, we run several themed careers fairs – for example, in health, science, and the environment – and we have a Green Week, where I deliver sessions on “What is a green job?” and “What are green skills?” These are especially aimed at students from non-science disciplines to show that sustainability careers aren’t limited to STEM graduates.

We also contribute to developing the University of Reading’s “graduate attributes.” One of these is about being sustainability minded, so we work with academic colleagues to help interpret what that means within different degree programmes.

We also take smaller, practical actions: banning single-use plastic cups at careers fairs (employers bring their own), encouraging travel by public transport, asking employers about their green initiatives, and organising “Explore Careers in…” panels with people working in sustainability or environmental roles and organisations. These real-life stories help students imagine how they too could contribute through their work.

Green Guidance: How do students react to this? Have you encountered eco-anxiety or other forms of resistance?

Alexandra Baker: Absolutely. Just a couple of weeks ago, a student said, “What’s the point? The world is in such a bad state.” They were studying a field that could have equipped them to make change, but the scale of the problem overwhelmed them.

I see two common reactions: some students become highly engaged and motivated to be change-makers; others feel paralysed and withdraw to protect themselves.

My role is to show them that incredible work is happening – that many organisations around the world are making a difference. Sometimes reconnecting students with those examples restores their hope. Sometimes, the best option is to take a very pragmatic approach and suggest that: at the end of the day, everyone needs a job so why not choose one that also does some good?

Eco-anxiety is relatively new in my client work, often linked to feelings of hopelessness – that nothing they do will matter. I haven’t met outright climate change deniers, but I have met students who don’t prioritise sustainability because of personal circumstances. For instance, students who grew up in poverty may understandably prioritise their financial stability over sustainability. That’s not denial; it’s self-preservation. And it’s not my place to judge that – it’s part of their lived experience.

Green Guidance: What advice would you give to other universities wanting to integrate sustainability into their career services?

Alexandra Baker: I’d say: don’t be afraid. There’s sometimes hesitation – worrying about how students will react, or how it fits within our professional boundaries. But that’s not a good reason to do nothing.

We have a responsibility to raise global issues in ways that make sense to students. Using the SDGs as a framework is one accessible way. I understand the concern that this might seem to compromise impartiality or judge certain sectors, but my advice is: try something. Start small – put up posters about impactful careers, run discussion sessions, experiment.

Some ideas won’t work – I’ve had my share of failures – but that’s fine. Reflect, adjust, and collaborate with supportive colleagues. I’d also love to see our professional body take a stronger lead so that sustainability becomes recognised as an integral part of careers practice.

Green Guidance: How do you see the context of career services in the UK today? Is this a topic that is being discussed within professional bodies or across universities?

Alexandra Baker: We’re currently facing quite a challenging graduate labour market, which has naturally drawn a lot of attention and resources. Within that context, I’d say there are pockets of activity around sustainability and green guidance, but not a coordinated national approach.

At the moment, our main professional body – AGCAS – hasn’t yet created a dedicated space or taskforce on green guidance. That makes it difficult to get a full picture of what’s happening across different universities. Some institutions are doing excellent work, often through initiatives like environmentally focused careers fairs or events that showcase “green jobs.”

Those are positive developments, of course, but I wouldn’t necessarily call that green guidance. Running a fair that highlights jobs in the green economy is valuable, but it’s still primarily about labour-market awareness. What’s often missing is the deeper reflection – helping students think about why this matters, how it connects to their values, and what they want to give back to the world through their careers.

“Imagine if every university careers service helped students understand the difference they can make through their professional choices. That’s where I’d like us to dare to go.”

Green Guidance: Finally, if you could imagine a utopian or ideal future for university career services integrating sustainability, what would it look like?

Alexandra Baker: If I could dream, the mission of a careers team would go beyond employability. At Reading, our current service agreement commits us to helping students become employable, navigate the labour market, and connect with employers. That’s important – but imagine if it also said: “We commit to helping students understand the difference they can make through their professional choices.”

Some might call that radical, but that’s the direction I’d love to see. A shift from purely individualistic career models towards a more holistic view – asking students, “How will your career benefit the world?” That, for me, would be the true embodiment of green guidance.