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Sustainability and Inclusive Leadership: Rebel Recruiters

Since September 2020, NTU have delivered the Sustainability and Inclusive Leadership (SAIL) course for SMEs. Here's what Ben from Rebel Recruiters made of it.

    This support is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund

    Through the Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs project*, Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access free bespoke, employer-led training, career coaching and advice to up-skill their employees in vocational and high-level technical skills.

    Since September 2020, NTU have delivered the Sustainability and Inclusive Leadership (SAIL) course which explores the global climate crisis, the very real impact this has on the economic landscape, and how important it is for businesses to be more sustainable as they work towards COVID-19 recovery.

    Ben Williamson
    Ben Williamson

    Ben Williamson, Recruiter from Rebel Recruiters

    Ben Williamson is a recruiter and account manager at Rebel Recruiters, a Nottingham-based recruitment agency focusing on supporting businesses in the tech sector and the tech departments of other companies across a huge range of industries.

    Ben’s role is a mix of creating relationships with businesses that need to access talent, and finding the right candidates to fill those roles. As part of this, he has a focus on sustainability and seeks to create matches with the most impact.

    When asked about what made him want to enrol on the SAIL course, Ben says:

    “Sustainability has been a growing interest for me over the past three or four years. I’ve been trying to make small changes to my personal life that limits my carbon footprint and negative impact on the world, and in 2020 I made the decision to apply this to my professional life.

    “It made sense to try and gain some education and knowledge on the subject so that I could maintain this, and I wanted to be able to hold conversations with those who have been in the field for much longer than me, and this course has really helped build my confidence in that area.”

    Ben has now completed his final assessment and says he definitely got what he wanted out of the course.

    “Like anything, it’s as much about what you put in. Within our group, we all made the effort to share ideas which really helped us gain perspective on how sustainability can be worked towards across all industries.

    “The information we got about carbon cycles was really insightful to help understand the science behind the issue, and the real-world scenario helped explain the gravity of the importance of immediate action”.

    Ben says that the final assessment was a great way to pull together all of the knowledge and perspectives he’d gained throughout the course, from the in-group discussions to the resources and tools provided throughout.

    Looking to the future, he now feels a lot more prepared to tackle conversations about sustainability in the workplace and has lots of plans for things that he’d like to introduce. He sums up by saying:

    “I think that a lot of people just don’t have the awareness that’s needed to tackle the problem at scale, so being armed with some facts, ideas for engagement, methods of overcoming objections, and ultimately the confidence to challenge misinformation or misguided opinions is really helpful.

    “I now intend to be much more proactive in advocating for climate solutions and reducing carbon footprints. Since the course, a number of our clients have referenced their own new or improved targets and commitments to sustainability or net-zero, so it’s definitely increased the urgency behind our actions.

    “I want to set up workshops for my colleagues and hope to set up some kind of regular event where people can learn about the small changes they can make to their lives. This could be anything from finding new products or services that are more sustainable, to highlighting good practices that other businesses are taking to reduce their own carbon footprint.

    “The aim is to raise awareness and ultimately accelerate change.”

    Find out more about the project

    We are running a final SAIL course starting 21 April 2021. Find out more about the course and how to enrol on the NTU website.

    You can also contact us via any of the below channels:

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    Supporting sustainability at NTU

    NTU is one the most sustainable universities in the world.

    Through sustainability research, working towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and working as a sector leader in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), we are enabling a culture of sustainable development.

    Find out more about NTU’s sustainability work on our website.

    * The Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs project is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and is part of the High Level Skills programme.

    • Notes for editors

      For media enquiries, please contact Joe Boultby-Ward, ESF Marketing Manager by email or on +44 (0)115 878 8899.

      • The High Level Skills programme is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and is made up of two complementary projects – Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs, and GRADS for D2N2.
      • The projects have received £2,201,163 (Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs) and £7,360,994 (GRADS for D2N2) of funding from the European Social Fund as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England.
      • The Department for Work and Pensions (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for the English European Social Fund programme.
      • Established by the European Union, the European Social Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support skills development, employment and job creation, social inclusion and local community regenerations.
      • For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.
    Published on 5 March 2021
    • Category: Business