THE UNIVERSITY of South Wales is among 6 universities who have committed to ending their recruitment relationships with the fossil fuel and mining industries, new research from People & Planet has shown.
The commitment from the University of South Wales, which has been enshrined in a university-wide Ethical Careers Policy, means that fossil fuel and mining companies will no longer be able to advertise or promote careers to students.
South Wales is the latest in a series of Welsh universities to cut its recruitment ties with the fossil fuel and mining industry as part of the nationwide Fossil Free Careers campaign, coordinated by student-led campaigning charity People & Planet. It follows in the footsteps of the Universities of Swansea, Wrexham, and Aberystwyth, who all pledged to adopt Fossil Free Careers between 2022-2024.
Fossil Free Careers demands that university careers services adopt an Ethical Careers Policy that excludes oil, gas and mining companies from recruitment relationships, in order to “end recruitment pipelines” into extractive industries.
This latest commitment means that 50% of all Welsh universities have committed to ending their recruitment relationships with the fossil fuel industry, far outperforming their English, Scottish and Northern Irish counterparts.
The University of South Wales was formed out of a number of further education institutions, including the South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines, which served as a training and recruitment ground for Wales’s coal industry between 1913 and 1949.
Josie Mizen, Co-Director of Climate Justice at People & Planet, said: “We’re delighted to see the University of South Wales ending their recruitment relationships with the fossil fuel industry.
“As the impacts of the climate crisis become ever more severe, it’s clear that the companies destroying whole communities and ecosystems for the sake of profit have no place in our educational institutions, and that their systematic funnelling of graduates into dead-end jobs has to stop immediately.
“Students standing in solidarity with workers and frontline communities have made this progress possible – we look forward to many more universities banning fossil fuel recruiters next year.”
Emma Adamson, Director of Student Life at the University of South Wales, said: “At the University of South Wales, our mission is to transform lives and create a better, fairer future.
“In USW Careers, we are committed to providing high-quality, impartial guidance that supports students to make informed, values-aligned career choices consistent with our institutional commitments to equity, sustainability, and inclusivity.
“Our commitment is informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act; and we have chosen to exclude fossil fuel and mining organisations from our employability activities.
“This decision reflects our responsibility to champion opportunities that contribute positively to society, the environment, and the wellbeing of future generations.”
