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Image credit: Emma Burlow

Our quarterly series spotlighting the work of our certified Carbon Literacy Consultants sheds light on how the most experienced Carbon Literacy trainers, certified at the highest level of our Trainer Certification Scheme, have created a lasting impact through Carbon Literacy. In this blog, we hear from Emma Burlow.

My Carbon Literacy journey began in 2022, and I was super proud to achieve my certified Carbon Literacy Consultant (CLC) status in December 2025.

Over the years, Lighthouse Sustainability has trained nearly 2,000 people across 192 courses. Our reach spans from household names like Beko, B&Q, Openreach, and BT Group to the vibrant ecosystem of SMEs and individuals who join our Open courses. But as we grew, a significant challenge emerged.

Bridging the trainer gap 

Starting my journey in Carbon Literacy training, I soon realised the work is equally as rewarding as it is exhausting. The scale of climate education is way too big for just a few people to carry. We don’t just need a few experts. We need an army, well-equipped and confident to lead the charge.

What I noticed was that the “bottleneck” wasn’t a lack of interest. People wanted to deliver training. The real issue was a lack of trainers who felt confident and capable enough to stand up and deliver it.

Whenever I spoke to prospective trainers, I kept hearing the same concerns. A lack of access to high-quality resources. Confusion around the accreditation process. “Imposter syndrome” of feeling they didn’t know enough.

I built my Train the Trainer course specifically to bridge that gap. Since 2023, Lighthouse Sustainability has helped nearly 100 people kick imposter syndrome into touch, giving them the tools and the confidence they need to lead their own Carbon Literacy sessions.

Confidence over content 

When I look at the feedback, the same few worries keep popping up: “I find the tech really stressful”, “What if someone asks a question I can’t answer?” or even, “How do I ‘sell this to my audience?”

That realisation changed everything for us. We’ve evolved our Train the Trainer course to prioritise confidence-building over content-building.

We help trainers move away from feeling like they must be an “all-knowing oracle” at the front of the room. Instead, we shift the focus to becoming a great facilitator, and a real influencer for change in the business or organisation they are training.

We teach our trainers the kind of smart questioning techniques that help them glide through a session with grace, rather than feeling like they’re constantly fighting for control. It’s also about giving them their time back; we’ve simplified the admin and the prep so you can stop sweating the small stuff and enjoy the training with confidence.

Ultimately, we need an army of Carbon Literacy trainers. But we can’t just send them out empty-handed; they need the best resources, the sharpest skills, and the “armour” to handle whatever comes their way.

Our goal at Lighthouse Sustainability is to remove every possible barrier to their success.

Turning leaders into certified leaders 

I was surprised to see that only 10% of our learners are making the jump to become certified CLP Trainers. Between career changes and a certification process that many find too slow or costly, we’re losing people along the way.

While anyone can deliver training without Carbon Literacy Trainer Certification – and we actively encourage experienced trainers to do this within their own teams – we really need to focus on improving this conversion rate.

If we want to raise the standard and expand our reach, we must double down here. The market is untapped, but for people to trust us, we need to make sure there is excellence and credibility in the training base.

Quality is everything 

Quality means everything to me. At Lighthouse, we’re committed to only using certified Carbon Literacy Trainers (CLTs), and to do this, we need an ample supply.

We provide our trainees with “lifelong” support, including dedicated facilitation slots and ongoing mentoring. While I sometimes joke about how long “lifelong” truly spans, I plan on being right here to support our community for a very long time!

Collaboration not competition 

At Lighthouse, we’re leaning into the theme of ‘Stronger, together’ this year. To kick things off, we launched a WhatsApp group for everyone who’s been through our Train the Trainer course. It’s become a great little hub! Over 40 trainers and trainees are already in the group, sharing resources, asking questions, or just having a good vent when they need it.

It’s really starting to feel like a proper community. Beyond the chat, we’re currently partnering with two of our alumni trainers to help them launch their first commercial sessions, and we’ve been busy expanding our reach through our Associate Trainer network.

We know the training world can feel competitive, but we also know there’s no time to waste. That’s why we’re always up for a chat about collaboration or partnerships. If it means higher quality training and better value for the people who need it, we’re all in. After all, the more we work together, the more people we can achieve.

The Lighthouse TTT course is a great place to hone your training and presentation skills to be an effective Carbon Literacy Trainer. Working in a small group setting, whether you’re new to training or very familiar, you will leave empowered and feel like you’re ready to train anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Jon Khoo The LEGO Group / Surfers Against Sewage

Interested in joining Lighthouse Sustainability’s Train the Trainer course? Find out more and sign up here.