IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management
Are you new to environment or sustainability, or at the start of your career and looking for recognition? The drive towards sustainability and desire for Green Skills has opened up new professional avenues across all sectors and IEMA’s Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management course is the perfect way to show that you have the knowledge and skills to begin your career in sustainability. This course leads directly to IEMA Associate Membership.

This course will give you a foundation of environmental and sustainability knowledge to build on. Covering a wide range of environmental, sustainability and governance principles, this course will give learners an understanding of the breadth of the sustainability agenda, and the management tools and skills that they will need when working within this area.

What is IEMA?
IEMA is the professional body for everyone working in environment and sustainability. We are responsible for ensuring that people working on the front line in these areas have the right knowledge, competencies, skills and confidence to do a professional job. We also help and support businesses, governments and regulators to do the right thing when it comes to environment and sustainability related initiatives, challenges and opportunities.

Who is this course for? 
This course is for people who are starting out, or changing to, a career in environment or sustainability focused roles. You don’t need any prior knowledge before taking this course as this will prepare you with everything you need to know to start your journey.

This course is also great for people working in other professions, such as marketing or finance, to gain a basic understanding of sustainability that you might apply in your role.

The IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management is for anyone looking to make an impact in an environmental or sustainability role. It focuses on environmental management so it’s ideal if you have responsibility for:

• Managing environmental impacts
• Collecting and collating good quality baseline data
• CSR training
• Maintaining environmental and sustainability certificates
• Completing routine checks on compliance obligations or control measures
• Providing routine advice and information on environmental or sustainability matters
• Playing a supporting role in small scale projects and programmes

Aligning with the competencies required for IEMA Associate Membership (find out more about these in our Sustainability Skills Map), this course means you can apply for one year’s membership as an IEMA Associate Member upon completion and successful pass of the multiple choice exam.

Looking for professional recognition but already have a degree in an environment or sustainability area? Then check out our Graduate Membership, which is the equivalent to Associate Membership for those with an academic background.

What are the entry requirements?
There are no entry requirements for this course.

Why is this training important?

By completing the IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management training course, you’ll be able to:

• Help to reduce your organisations environmental impacts, including it’s carbon footprint, in line with a Net Zero by 2050 goal;
• Develop, implement and maintain an environmental management system to improve efficiency and performance;
• Help your organisation meet it’s compliance obligations;
• Provide evidence of professional CSR training and ESG training;
• Develop your career in environmental sustainability;
• Apply for Associate Membership of IEMA (AIEMA) and get professional recognition for your new skills and knowledge.
• Act Sustainably are proud of their long standing partnership with the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA).

IEMA is the professional body for everyone working in environment and sustainability.

At Act Sustainably we are fully supportive of the IEMA mission – “Transforming the World to Sustainability”, which mirrors our mission – “Creating positive outcomes, by helping clients to Act Sustainably”.

What will you learn?
Once completed, a learner on this course will be able to:

• Outline the implications of global trends for the environment, for society, for the economy and for organisations
• Outline sustainable business/governance principles and their relationship with organisations, products and services
• Outline environmental principles and their relationship with organisations, products and services
• Outline major policy and legislation and their implications for organisations, products and services
• Outline major tools, techniques, systems and practices used to improve sustainability performance
• Outline the role of innovation and other leading practices in developing sustainable products and services and providing sustainable solutions
• Collect data, perform analysis, and evaluate information
• Research and plan to provide sustainable solutions
• Deliver effective communication and capture feedback
• Engage with stakeholders
• Outline tools and techniques that identify opportunities and risks
• Identify and propose ways to improve performance
• Support change and transformation to improve sustainability

The 11 sessions that make up this course provide learners with a solid basis to assist and support improvements in the sustainability of organisations, products and services.
Sessions
1. Why we need to be sustainable
2. Environmental principles
3. Principles of sustainable organisations
4. Pollution and pollution control
5. Introduction to policy and legislation
6. Key environmental legislation
7. Environmental tools and assessment
8. Data and reporting
9. Environmental management systems
10. Environmental auditing
11. Improving sustainability performance

How do you learn?
This is a 5-day course (40 hours), which can be taken in a classroom.

A suggested programme over 5 days could be as follows:

Day 1 (2 activities)

• Why we need to be sustainable
• Environmental principles

Day 2 (3-4 activities)

• Principles of sustainable organisations
• Pollution and pollution control

Day 3 (3 activities)

• Introduction to policy and legislation
• Key environmental legislation
• Start Envirnomental tools and assessment

Day 4 (2-3 activities)

• Finish Environmental tools and assessment
• Data and reporting
• Environmental management systems

Day 5 (3 activities)

• Environmental auditing
• Improving sustainability performance

How will you be assessed?
At the end of the five days, you will take a one hour, open-book, online multiple-choice exam.

On passing your exam, you will receive a certificate to recognise your achievement and you will be sent details of how to join IEMA as an Associate Member, earning your AIEMA professional suffix and all other benefits that come as being a member of a professional body.