ERM (Environmental Resources Management) is one of the world’s leading sustainability consultancies, and their Southern Africa operation is offering a limited number of bursary placements for South African graduates who are ready to take their studies to the next level. If you are pursuing postgraduate studies in the environmental, earth or natural sciences, engineering, economics, or the social sciences, this is an opportunity worth pursuing.
What ERM Offers
ERM Southern Africa works across some of the most complex and high-impact projects on the continent — from mine closure and contaminated land remediation to climate risk, biodiversity, water management, and ESG strategy. As a bursary recipient, you will be supported financially while pursuing full-time postgraduate studies at a recognised university, with your performance reviewed quarterly to ensure you remain on track. ERM’s scope of work is vast, and so is the range of disciplines they are looking to support through this programme.
This is not just financial support. ERM is actively committed to transformation and the development of high-calibre professionals from multicultural backgrounds. Successful candidates will enter into a formal contract with ERM Southern Africa and become part of a globally respected organisation that is shaping the future of sustainability consulting across Africa and beyond.
Who Should Apply
This bursary is open exclusively to unemployed South African graduates who hold an appropriate undergraduate qualification and intend to pursue full-time postgraduate studies in one or more of the following fields:
- Environmental, earth, or natural sciences
- Engineering (relevant disciplines)
- Economics
- Social sciences
Candidates must be South African citizens and must not be currently employed. Academic performance will form a key part of the selection criteria, as will the quality of the essay submitted with the application.
The Essay Requirement
As part of the application, candidates are required to write an essay of no more than 3,000 words on one topic of their choice from a provided list of thirteen topics. Topics span a wide range of disciplines and reflect the kind of real-world challenges ERM consultants engage with daily. Subjects include sustainable remediation, emerging contaminants, groundwater contamination investigation, climate change physical and transition risks, ESG integration, net zero strategy, mine water management, biodiversity and nature risk, and waste circularity in contaminated land projects, among others.
The essay must include a signed Plagiarism Declaration on the cover page, and citations must follow the Harvard (Author-date or APA) referencing system. Submissions found to contain plagiarism will be automatically disqualified, and any bursary subsequently found to have been awarded on the basis of a plagiarised submission may be withdrawn with repayment required.
How to Apply
Submit the following documents via the ERM careers portal:
- Your CV
- A certified copy of your ID
- Your latest academic transcript
- Your completed essay with the signed Plagiarism Declaration
All four documents are compulsory. Missing any one of them will result in automatic disqualification from the process.
Closing Date: Friday, 28 November 2025
Apply now at:
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