Net Zero Internship and Leadership Programme

2024–2025

View over countryside looking towards Redruth in Cornwall

Net Zero Internship and Leadership Programme

2024–2025

The Net Zero Internship and Leadership Programme was a funded internship opportunity placing current students or recent graduates of the �� within businesses throughout Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and Devon to work on a specific low-carbon challenge or opportunity. The Devon internships were funded by and the Cornwall internship programme was part of the Entrepreneurial Futures project, which ended in March 2025.

Accelerating net zero action in Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and Devon

The internship programme provided invaluable support for businesses while offering practical work experience and leadership development for current students and recent graduates.

Organisations benefitted from support on a range of net-zero projects, including:

carbon footprinting
B Corp applications
communications and market research
scope 3 emissions data
assessing sustainability initiative impact

Enabling future-fit sustainability changemakers

The innovative leadership component included change leadership and personal development workshops for the interns to become future-fit as sustainability changemakers, leaders and role models of a low-carbon society. These workshops focused on developing the necessary skills and tools, combined with the inspiration, confidence and ability, to facilitate compassionate and proactive change to tackle the climate challenge.

Internship hosts

The internship programme has now closed. Interns were placed with the following companies:

Internship case studies

The development of the Entrepreneurial Futures Internship Programme has come at a time when net zero and climate education are of vital importance. Finding ways to engage learners in active and applied experiences has led the University to develop its own engaged learning approach, one that blends experiential, place-based learning within local businesses with reflective and collaborative learning in our specially designed Sustainability Hub on campus.

As the following case studies of impact will demonstrate, this pioneering approach is helping to nurture a new generation of change-makers, equipped with the leadership capacities to work in partnership with forward-thinking local businesses to make a meaningful contribution to the net zero agenda. It has been an inspiration for both of us to support this group of interns and local businesses through the internship programme."

Sue Langford, Internship Manager and Sustainable Leadership Facilitator

Dr Paul Warwick , Academic Education Lead