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Applied geoscience in demand: Securing the talent pipeline

Demand for applied geoscientists in the UK remains high, but supply of suitably trained postgraduates is under pressure. Colleagues from the Engineering Group of the Geological Society discuss different scenarios to ensure a diverse and robust talent pipeline

Words by Paul Fish
2 June 2026
Christopher Jack
Saskia Elliott

Rapid growth in carbon and hydrogen storage, geothermal and wind energy will intensify the need for specialist geoscientists (© Getty).

Applied geoscience is central to the UK’s sustainable future. A robust low‑carbon economy and climate‑resilient infrastructure rely on the specialist expertise of engineering geologists, hydrogeologists, and geoenvironmental and geotechnical engineers working across industry and academia. Their skills underpin sectors from clean energy and transport infrastructure to groundwater and nuclear waste management, critical minerals, and carbon capture and storage.  

The demand for applied geoscientists is growing. A review by the Subsurface Task Force (an independent group of industry experts, academics, and professionals working with the North Sea Transition Authority) shows that rapid growth in carbon and hydrogen storage, geothermal and wind energy, combined with an ageing workforce, will intensify the need for specialist geoscientists (STF, 2024). Additionally, the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Task and Finish Group (an industry-government body focused on accelerating the UK’s CCS sector) warn that many of these roles require advanced MSc or PhD‑level skills, and the small pool of highly qualified professionals (who are often aged over 50 and can compete for jobs internationally), represent a small and vulnerable segment of the labour market (CCSTFG, 2024). 

Encouragingly, the number of people choosing to study geoscience and related subjects at undergraduate level is rising (TiG, 2025), which appears to reverse a recent trend (e.g. Petley, 2022; Richardson, 2023; Elmo, 2024; Rogers et al., 2024). However, many of the more specialist and established taught MSc courses, including engineering geology and geotechnical engineering, which once supplied industry with postgraduates skilled in applied geoscience, have closed or report falling student enrolment numbers. To compound this issue, a large, experienced cohort of professionals is nearing retirement—Geological Society data show that 35% of Chartered geoscientists will reach retirement age within 10 years.  

To ensure demand does not outstrip supply, we must act now to support the talent pipeline. Here, representatives from the Engineering Group of the Geological Society (EGGS)—the Society’s largest Professional and Scientific Interest Group, whose members make up roughly half of all Chartered Geologists—examine the challenges and outline future scenarios for ensuring the robust supply of skilled applied geoscientists who can deliver the country’s renewable energy projects, safe infrastructure and national climate commitments. 

Over-reliance on MSc training  

Traditionally, most engineering geologists followed a clear training route: an undergraduate degree in geology and/or geography, followed by a specialist MSc. Employers often stipulate postgraduate training because engineering geology is rarely taught at undergraduate level (an MSc or equivalent on-the-job training is required for Chartership applicants). Yet many of the established, specialist MSc courses are closing, including those at the universities of Cardiff and Portsmouth, with Royal Holloway and Newcastle courses shifting to a non-taught, research degree.  

Taught MSc options in engineering geology remain at the universities of Leeds, Plymouth and Portsmouth, while Imperial, Exeter and Birmingham offer geotechnical engineering; however, many report sharply falling student numbers. For example, student enrolment on the MSc Engineering Geology course at the University of Leeds has fallen from around 40 per year in 2020/21 to less than 15 in 2025/26, while enrolment on the University of Portsmouth’s MSc Engineering Geology course dropped from around 45 per year in 2015–2020 to less than 30 per year in 2020–2025.  

MSc course closures reflect financial pressures on universities and students themselves. Full-time MSc fees, which are uncapped, range from £11,000 to £19,000 for home students, with even higher costs for international students. These costs are increasingly unaffordable, especially for students already burdened with undergraduate debt and entering the applied geoscience industry where, in some sectors, starting salaries can be low. While many MSc courses target overseas students because the higher fees make the course more economically viable, recent government immigration policy makes the UK a less attractive destination for postgraduate study and post-Brexit visa costs have reduced employers’ willingness to hire overseas graduates.  

Level 7 apprenticeships, which provide training equivalent to an MSc, could offer an effective way to recruit suitably skilled staff. However, geotechnical engineering apprenticeships have not been as successful as hoped and their uptake has not yet matched the decline in numbers of MSc students. Universities argue that this is principally because industry support has been low, but employers have struggled to release staff for training and failed to understand the constraints on course content imposed by the apprenticeship standards that universities operate to. Furthermore, recent government changes to funding have made this route for upskilling staff over the age of 22 impossible. 

Engineering geology is a foundational discipline for modern society 

A disconnect 

EGGS represents the Geological Society at the Ground Forum, a coalition of professional ground engineering bodies, learned societies and representatives from university departments that teach applied geoscience.  

In addition to a well-established mentoring scheme linking students with industry professionals, the Ground Forum aims to advance common interests within UK ground engineering at governmental level. However, government engagement occurs indirectly, via the Construction Industry Council, which reports to the Strategic Forum for Construction. This convoluted structure often favours larger construction-sector voices, limiting visibility and risking the government not being aware of a shortage in the geoscience-specific skills essential for the energy transition and a low-carbon economy.  

None of the professional or industry bodies in the Ground Forum directly influence university teaching. The Geological Society accredits UK geology and Earth science degrees and some MSc programmes, assuring teaching quality but allowing departments flexibility in course content. Engineering geology is rarely taught at undergraduate level due to low awareness (by students and some staff), unclear perceived benefit, or lack of specialist teaching expertise.  

Geography departments also produce geoscientists skilled in geomorphology, Quaternary geology and geohazards, and these are often accredited by the Royal Geographical Society. However, the Royal Geographical Society is not part of the Ground Forum and there is no formal mechanism to coordinate teaching of geoscience between geology and geography departments. In response to the need for interdisciplinarity, universities often adopt multidisciplinary schools that combine teaching of geology, geography and environmental science. This has the potential to increase the numbers of undergraduate students who gain an awareness of applied geoscience careers and postgraduate training. However, without stronger visibility in government and greater coordination between geology and geography education, we risk undermining the development of essential applied geoscience skills in the UK. 

Allied initiatives 

Various organisations are already working to strengthen geoscience education in the UK and raise awareness of geoscience careers, but much of this work is focused on increasing undergraduate student numbers.  

Most recently, the Geological Society launched ‘This is Geoscience’ (thisisgeoscience.com; TiG, 2025), a campaign to reframe public understanding of geoscience and inspire the next generation of geoscientists by showcasing their role in addressing global challenges, providing data on student numbers, careers and salaries.  

Both the Geological Society and Royal Geographical Society provide teaching materials for schools (primary and secondary), with the Geological Society’s resources emphasising the role for geoscience in society and in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  

The Earth Science Teachers’ Association (esta.ac.uk) and GeoBus (geobus.org.uk) also provide material to support the national curriculum. So too does the Geographical Association (although their geology-specific content is more limited; geography.org.uk).  

‘Time for Geography’ (timeforgeography.co.uk) recognises that students often become aware of geology through secondary school geography lessons. To support this, it produces videos that combine core physical geography topics with explicit information about related geoscience careers and industry applications, helping students understand pathways into geoscience degrees. 

The UK Geoscience Strategic Alliance (Davies-Vollum, 2024; Menteth, 2024), launched by University Geoscience UK (earth-science.org.uk), the Geological Society and the British Geological Survey, aims to coordinate stakeholders, challenge negative perceptions, create influence and establish a widespread understanding of the role of geoscience in UK society and the economy. The UK Geoscience Strategic Alliance is currently assessing industry needs to better define the skills gap. 

The demand for applied geoscientists is growing, yet the talent pipeline is strained due to MSc course closures (© Getty).

Future scenarios 

If the pool of MSc‑qualified applied geoscientists continues to fall, in the short term, competition for graduates will intensify; in the medium term, academia and industry will need to fundamentally rethink how they sustain the geoscience skills pipeline. Four broad scenarios emerge: 

Scenario 1: An industry-funded bursary scheme 

University courses in applied geoscience related to mining and hydrocarbons, for example, have traditionally benefitted from strong industry backing to fund MSc bursaries or PhD research (such as the Geoscience Energy Society of Great Britain (GESGB) funding of certain MSc courses). Hitherto, the construction, civil engineering and geoenvironmental sectors have provided more limited funding in the form of student prizes and co-funded PhD placements. A viable industry-led funding model would require companies to contribute to a shared fund similar to that administered by the GESGB, which would be used to offset university course fees. Careful thought would need to be given to how the funds are administered and distributed, and whether it was also used to support research. 

Scenario 2: MSc content delivered as CPD 

If MSc provision continues to decline, universities could repackage advanced training as Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for graduate employees. Graduate staff could then receive training in specific technical areas, as demanded by their employer, and industry would fund the CPD modules through their graduate training budgets. However, the additional hours spent in training would reduce the time graduates can spend on client‑billable projects, further adding to the financial cost to industry.  

Scenario 3: On‑the‑job delivery of MSc‑level training 

Employers could provide their own advanced training, either on-the-job or through in-house created courses. While feasible for large consultancies, this approach is unlikely to be suitable for smaller companies. Furthermore, few industry staff have teaching experience, so the quality of teaching and content is unlikely to match MSc standards. 

Scenario 4: Decline of engineering geology as a profession 

If the skills base erodes, civil engineers may attempt to fill the gap. While this may be effective in some projects, history shows a lack of specialist geological understanding can lead to project failures (such as the 2019 Brumadinho dam collapse in Brazil and 2023 Silkyara-Barkot tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand, India) and risks significant commercial and reputational damage. This scenario undermines the UK’s capacity to deliver the energy transition as well as major infrastructure projects and is the least favourable outcome.

 

Take action 

If neither government nor students will fund MScs in engineering geology, are the wider construction and civil engineering sectors prepared to step in? If not, our industry must reconsider how to equip geology, geoscience and physical geography graduates with the skills that were once delivered through MSc training. 

The concerns of EGGS members closely align with the objectives of the ‘This is Geoscience’ campaign and UK Geoscience Strategic Alliance. We do not wish to launch another campaign but urge the geoscience community to take the following actions

1. Engage students early and embed career pathways  

An abundance of educational materials exists; we must ensure it reaches students. We should support organisations such as the Geological Society, Geographical Association and Earth Science Teachers’ Association, and campaigns such as ‘This is Geoscience’ and ‘Time for Geography’, to ensure that teaching materials are available for all age groups and disseminated to schools. We must embed career pathways into GCSE and A-level teaching materials (for geography and geology) and engage with children, ideally well before GCSE choices that influence career directions are made. 

2. Strengthen university-industry partnerships 

Help universities showcase the breadth of career opportunities in applied/engineering geoscience for geology and physical geography graduates, including through careers days and guest lectures. 

3. Shape accredited degree content 

Work with the Geological Society to keep applied geoscience and employability central to accredited university programmes. Collaborate with course leaders to influence curricula and ensure the skills required for an applied geoscience career are taught at undergraduate level. 

4. Expand scholarships and bursaries 

Encourage employers to offer MSc scholarships and bursaries. Industry investment is critical if MSc provision is to remain viable. 

5. Promote Level 7 apprenticeships to existing undergraduates 

Collaborate with bodies such as the Ground Forum and British Geotechnical Association to promote Level 7 apprenticeships (equivalent to MSc level) and emphasise the importance of geoscience skills in the energy‑transition workforce. 

6. Challenge the “MSc required” mindset 

Question employers’ perception that an MSc is required for all roles, instead recognising the strong foundational skills of geology and physical geography graduates (and the potential to supplement with targeted training). 

7. Enable flexible postgraduate routes 

Explore ways for people to gain MSc‑level qualifications while remaining in paid employment, and work with universities to deliver MSc content as accredited CPD modules. 

8. Strengthen alliances 

Build on collaborations with UK and international organisations across geology, Earth science and geography (including the Royal Geographical Society, Quaternary Research Association, British Society for Geomorphology, International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment, and International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering) to promote geoscience careers. 

Engineering geology is not optional; it is a foundational discipline for modern society, and a strong talent pipeline should be a strategic national priority. By taking action now to fund the talent pipeline, modernise training routes and inspire new generations, we can ensure a diverse, future-focused geoscience sector. 

 

Authors

Paul Fish Jacobs, UK 
Christopher Jack COWI, UK 
Saskia Elliott SW Flood and Coastal, UK 
Helen Reeves Jacobs, UK 
Melody Wareing SOCOTEC, UK 

 

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all those who provided review comments: 

Dr Matt Bailey-Ross, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth 

Prof. Becky Briant, Department of Geography, Birkbeck, University of London 

Dr Jon Carey, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham 

Dr James Lawrence, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London 

Prof. Jim Rose, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London 

Dr Mark Thomas, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds 

Dr Matthew Watkinson, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth 

Dr Malcolm Whitworth, School of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Portsmouth 

 

Further reading

  • Rogers, et al. (2024) “You just look at rocks, and have beards” Perceptions of Geology from the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Analysis from an Online Survey. Earth Science Systems and Society 4; doi.org/10.3389/esss.2024.10078 
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