The Earth Institute Professional Development Program serves as a resource hub for students to prepare for their careers and connect with practitioners in the sustainability field. The program offers multiple resources that strive to engage students with company representatives and recruiters.
One of the program’s most recent developments is the adoption of the Earth Institute eRecruiting System through which the Earth Institute academic program directors and potential employers can post positions, review student resumes, actively reach out to students, and vice versa.
Students who would like to be active within the Earth Institute are also encouraged to apply for various internship and research assistant opportunities within Earth Institute, giving students direct access to researches and practitioners in their fields of interest.
The Professional Development Program also hosts a Sustainability Speaker Series in which thought leaders in the field of sustainability are invited to engage with students and speak about efforts in sustainability, their experience in the field, and advice for following a career path in their given industry. Additionally, the department hosts half-day and full day seminars in which students can gain practical and cutting-edge skills and knowledge outside the classroom, in topics such as life cycle analysis, green building design, and smart grid technology.
Numerous networking events allow both current students and alumni to engage with each other and share potential career opportunities.
The efforts of the program culminate in the Annual All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair in which top companies and organizations from the private, non-profit, and public sectors come to the Columbia campus to meet with undergraduate and graduate students from all 8 Ivy League universities.
Sustainability practitioners in various fields are invited to host half-day and full-day information/training sessions in their respective fields. Seminars takes place on weekends, outside of the classroom and provide students with cutting edge skills and knowledge in topics such as:
Industry leaders in the realm of sustainability are invited to Columbia to speak on topics ranging from climate change and sustainability policy to supply chain management and corporate social responsibility. Additionally, Columbia hosts panel discussions with question and answer sessions fully accessible to both students and alumni. Past speakers include:
Each year, the eight Ivy League schools come together to co-host the All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair. This event provides companies unparalleled access to undergraduate, graduate, and PH.D level students who have the skills and knowledge to address the complex sustainability challenges of our global economy. This year marked the tenth anniversary of the All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career fair. This is the premier event for recruiters and top talent to connect and discuss career opportunities
EI strives to foster a dynamic relationship with companies and organizations involved in sustainability industry in order to connect them to qualified students for job and internship opportunities. The latest tool developed to accomplish this goal is the adoption of the Earth Institute eRecruiting System, an online access hub that allows recruiters to post jobs directly to the EI job board as well as review resumes for students that may fit their required qualifications. Simultaneously, students and alumni from all of EI's educational programs may peruse posted jobs, connect directly to employers, and have an efficient means through which to store job application documents, filter job searches, and receive automatic updates for relevant positions.
The Earth Institute has recently launched a new Earth Institute Job List through the Earth Institute eRecruiting System. It provides students and alumni from Earth Institute sponsored educational programs personal access to a multitude of job and internship postings related to sustainability. Employers also have direct access to the Earth Institute eRecruiting System and can post directly to the list or review the student resume book and reach out directly to students.
The Earth Institute eRecruiting System also provides quick search filters that allow students to find jobs related to their individual interests and desired industries. Besides the EI Job List, the Earth Institute also offers job search strategy sessions with Davida Heller, the Manager of Corporate Relations at the Earth Institute.
Every year, EI graduates have found opportunities in various industries. The first employment report for the Master of Science in Sustainability Management will be released in 2013.
EI has an extensive alumni network consisting of graduates from all of Earth Institute’s educational programs. We also have various networking opportunities for students and alumni to connect and engage in various activities and events.
In the Capstone Workshop, teams of 6-12 students integrate and hone their sustainability management skills by working pro bono on a client-based consulting project. The workshop is specially designed to integrate the program’s distinct curriculum areas: economics and quantitative analysis; environmental sciences, engineering, and planning; and general financial management. A faculty member guides each team and oversees the project. For organizations interested in becoming clients, please see click here for more information.
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