Overview
The UNC Charlotte Environmental and Corporate Sustainability Virtual Career Accelerator will equip you with an understanding of the key concepts and tools that can help businesses operate sustainably. Gain practical experience and insight as you work with social enterprises, NGOs or government organizations to reduce carbon emissions and encourage community recycling drives. Learn about the positive effects of running a sustainable business and the impact that this can have on a global level.
Complete Real Projects
Throughout your experience you’ll be completing one project each week that helps a local organization solve an actual problem. Since we work with real partners, real, valuable projects will be assigned to you. This means that the types of projects you could work on will vary. We aim to match you as closely as possible with an organization and a task that aligns with your personal career goals. See below for some of the projects you could work on during your experience.
LOCAL, ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTION PROPOSAL
Producing food organically and locally is better for the environment. Write a proposal to plant and maintain a vegetable garden in a community where food scarcity is a main concern. Research varieties of plants that would thrive in local conditions and include cooking instructions and recipes, taking into account available resources.
WASTE REPURPOSING CAMPAIGN
Design a marketing campaign for a local organisation that focuses around repurposing old products and used items. Use channels such as social media to promote switching and swapping instead of throwing out and buying, reducing waste and promoting sustainable thinking.
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY PROPOSAL
Analyse a local organisation’s competitors to understand how they incorporate sustainability into their operations and use their focus on sustainability to better market and sell their products or services. Then submit your findings about how they can improve their operations, marketing and sales.
Example of a Typical Week
Career path Insight
Gain insight into your chosen career path and engage in discussions with leading academics, professionals, local experts and your fellow participants, when you take part in live chats and lectures on a range of topics.
Local
immersion
Explore the customs, languages and cuisine of another culture in order to reach a deeper understanding of the country by attending lectures about a local cultural context or environment, led by community members or an area expert.
Project
Work
Find solutions to some of the challenges faced by real organisations such as local NGOs and social enterprises. You’ll do this by conducting research, engaging in discussions and proposing a potential solution.
Career development
Learn about your potential career journey ahead from a professional in your field of interest. Take part in workshops that will assist in career development, and receive coaching from your dedicated internship supervisor.
Dates & Costs
Full Time
Cost
Part-Time
Cost
*The cost of each UNC Charlotte Virtual Career Accelerator includes two weeks of introductory online learning material which students complete before the experience. Additionally, it includes the cost of an optional, post-experience peer-reviewed final project. *There is an opportunity for students to join UNC Charlotte and complete a one-week virtual career accelerator without any pre- or post-learning. The cost of this is $1695.
3 Online Courses Included
UNC Charlotte participants will also complete our successful flagship online program; the Foundations in Sustainable Development program, which includes three online courses.
– Careers in Sustainable Development
– Leading Teams for Emerging Leaders
– Introduction to Community Development
– Introduction to Scientific Conservation Research