How to train for jobs in ESG

ESG is an acronym for environment, social, and governance, and investors increasingly use it to evaluate the sustainability and social responsibility of companies.

This means many new jobs – related to ESG – are coming to market. 

If a role isn’t directly related to ESG, there may still be an obvious connection – a reason to know as much as possible about the topic. 

ESG has its proponents and nay-sayers, but globally, experts expect it to gain importance. Investors like it, governments like it, and consumers like it. In fact, it commands about $40 trillion in assets as of 2022 (according to Bloomberg). So in summary, it won’t be going away any time soon.

Yes. Plain and simple. 

The real question is, how does that training work?

If you’re somewhat familiar with ESG already, you’ll know how broad the topic is. Anything from carbon footprints to employee satisfaction to accurate financial statements falls under the banner of ESG. 

Depending on their business and stakeholders, some companies will focus on specific areas more than others. Larger companies will likely have to incorporate all three into their business strategies. These companies could have a library of reference books at their disposal and still not cover everything. 

The same goes for training. Because ESG is so broad, training for it is never likely to cover everything, so it can take multiple forms. 

1. It might be just a taste of the entire topic, with bite-sized information that will lay the groundwork for you in an ESG-related role. 
2. It might delve into some detail, focusing more on the ‘E’, the ‘S’ and the ‘G’ individually, giving you a more thorough knowledge base. 
3. It might be ultra-detailed, covering only one or two aspects like carbon emissions, crisis management or sustainable finance. 

Yes. Plain and simple. 

Take what you just read above as your first reason: it is such a broad topic that you will absolutely need some level of guidance to navigate. Going into an ESG-related role without training is like getting behind a wheel and not knowing how to drive. 

You don’t necessarily need to have ultra-detailed knowledge when you start a role in ESG. The basics will go a long way to help.

Although every industry is different in how it embraces ESG, there is an emerging trend of companies that consider it a central priority, forming a core component of their strategy. 

These companies frequently set ambitious ESG goals but can’t find the expertise to implement them. 

In other words, the need for skills is rising faster than the talent pool can provide. Your training offers a solution to this problem, reassuring your company and setting you up for success from an early stage.

Broadly, ESG training is a unique opportunity. It enables you to help a company craft a flawless business strategy – setting it up for financial success while caring for the world around it. 

This balance is a sign of the times. In 2019, nearly 200 CEOs of the United States’ largest companies rejected a decades-old policy stating that ‘shareholder return’ was the primary goal in business. Now, things are more dynamic than that. 

Investors recognise this too. They are more eager than ever for ESG projects because they believe that, in the long term, these projects will yield a more significant return.

No matter how detailed, training will advance your skill set to a new level. It will do this by

• giving you a knowledge base you can use in a corporate setting – sharing opportunities with colleagues that no one may have realised. 
• opening the door to ESG investing
• laying the groundwork so that you can collect, understand and use swathes of ESG data to demonstrate progress or areas needing attention.

Yes, you can get training in ESG. And yes, you should get training in ESG. 

This kind of training fills a gap in the market, enhances your CV, and contributes to a global movement that shows no signs of slowing down. 

You can learn more about ESG training from the Corporate Governance Institute here.