Sustainability: ARAMARK and CSRwire to Host Twitter Chat

Careers in CSR & Sustainability: ARAMARK and CSRwire to Host Twitter Chat

NEW YORK, /CSRwire/ - In the last four years, as the unemployment rate declined across the country, choices for jobseekers have also grown diverse. As organizations restructure, realign and redraw strategic plans to ensure the sustainability of their business models as well as their environment and communities, job descriptions and internship programs are evolving alongside.

As climate change creeps closer, the economy shifts gears and it becomes clear that natural resources are going to sustain us for only so many more years, talent development has emerged as a critical challenge for organizations. From understanding the complexities of toxicity, water use, conservation and zero waste to community development and regenerative business models, the demands for today's jobseeker are multi-fold.

Further, there appears to be a greater supply of qualified graduates compared to the demand for full-time sustainability professionals. So what is a student/professional looking to pursue a career in sustainability to do? And how are leading companies responding?

In 2011, ARAMARK, a global leader in professional services, hired 10 college students for its Sustainability Internship Program; in 2012, ARAMARK hired 17 sustainability interns. The program provides participants with hands-on job experience as they help implement sustainability solutions for ARAMARK clients at schools, universities, businesses and other locations across in the U.S. and the U.K.

In partnership with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), a national nonprofit dedicated to building the next generation of conservation leaders, ARAMARK engages young people who are interested in careers that have a positive social and environmental impact. These young people also gain a practical understanding of how environmental sustainability operates within a business environment.

Sustainable Careers: A Discussion

“We recognize that our workforce is evolving and changing and we are looking at ways to better engage young people by designing career opportunities around our shared interests. Today’s generation want to be connected to issues and concerns they care about such as corporate responsibility and sustainability,” says Kathy Cacciola, ARAMARK's Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability. “Through this program, we are tapping into their enthusiasm and expertise to help implement client solutions in this area.”

"Sustainability is not just good for the environment, but it’s also good for business and essential to our future,” says Patty Holland, Director of Recruiting for SCA. “The fact that many of the first- and second-year ARAMARK interns have been hired into full time jobs with the company and other corporations is indicative of the program’s genuine value and the important need these interns are fulfilling.”

So how does ARAMARK plan to evolve its internship program as sustainability becomes more and more integrated into its organizational framework? How does ARAMARK foresee the evolution of sustainability – and responsible careers? What role does sustainability-specific curriculum play in preparing students? And what are the key components of ARAMARK's and SCA’s internship program that makes it such a success with participating students?

Join Kathy Cacciola, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability at ARAMARK and Patty Holland, Director of Recruiting for SCA, for an hour-long conversation on Twitter moderated by CSRwire's Editorial Director Aman Singh. Learn the key facts about ARAMARK's internship program and participate in a much-needed conversation on the do(s), don't(s), why(s) and how(s) of responsible careers.

Details:

Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Time: 1:00pm EST

Where: To register, drop us an email at aman@csrwire.com and join us on Twitter at #SustyCareers

Accounts to follow: @KathyC_Susty @the_sca @csrwire @amansinghcsr

Learn more on CSRwire.

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