Connecting educational pathways to professional registration: Growing skills, careers and opportunity

It’s Green Careers Week between the 4^th – 9^th November 2024.  In conjunction with this, Tom Cheek (Education Relationship Manager) from the Society for the Environment, shares an overview of the work underway, aspiring to create connections between education and professional environmental registration, leading to good green jobs and careers.

The urgency to address environmental challenges has made green jobs and skills a critical part of our future workforce.  As industries shift towards sustainability, educational pathways that addresses that need and that can lead to professional registration, is more important than ever.

Professional registration awarded by Licensed Members (professional bodies licensed to award the status), has a requisite of membership.  Membership with a professional body brings benefits to the individual both in terms of learning and career progress.  Features such as access to a wider network of learning, regional forums, mentoring support, guidance on continuous professional development, horizon scanning of future skill needs and a general sense of being part of a community.  It brings new opportunities to engage, collaborate and inspire, benefitting the career and professional development both to the individual and others in their space of influence.

SocEnv has started a new programme of work, aiming to create clear, structured routes, connecting educational achievement to professional registration, specifically for green careers. This blog will explore the key elements of this plan, focusing on its’ goals, approach, and impact on both individuals and the wider workforce.

The Need for Clear Educational Pathways in Green Jobs

One of the primary motivations behind SocEnv’s educational initiative is to raise awareness about green jobs, their prestige, and the opportunities they offer. While career guidance for green roles is already provided by several organisations, including SocEnv’s Licensed Members, the unique value of this work lies in linking educational achievements to professional registration. This ensures that individuals pursuing green careers have a clear path to formal recognition, enhancing both their employability and elevating the status of the roles they perform.

SocEnv’s registers are essential to this initiative, with current registrations including Chartered Environmentalists (CEnv), Registered Environmental Practitioners (REnvP), and Registered Environmental Technicians (REnvTech). With over 7,900 Chartered Environmentalists and growing numbers of Environmental Practitioners and Technicians, SocEnv’s educational work has a particular focus on expanding registrations at the REnvTech and REnvP levels. This will elevate the importance of Technician and Practitioner roles, whilst also creating access to a framework of support for individuals wishing to achieve Chartered status.

Threads of Activity: Building a Framework for Success

The initiative is divided into seven key threads of activity, each focusing on a different aspect of building the necessary infrastructure and engagement for connecting educational pathways to professional registration. Let’s take a closer look at the most significant threads:

Identifying Green Occupations

The first step involves mapping out some of green occupations that align with SocEnv’s registers. By focusing on dark-green and mid-green occupations, as defined by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education IfATE, this thread aims to identify roles suitable for professional registration.  These could from a wide range of sectors including Agriculture; Arboriculture and forestry; Built Environment; Ecology and fisheries; Energy; Engineering; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Management; Resource Management and Water to name a few.

By understanding the range of occupations, the various educational pathways can be explored too, whether that be apprenticeships, other technical education routes (such as T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications, BTECs), and the full/part time academic routes that can lead up to graduate and post-graduate achievement.

Professional Registration for Apprentices

An exciting development in this initiative is the shortened application routes for apprentices. Since apprenticeship achievement already demonstrates knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) relevant to occupational competence, SocEnv plans to assess how these KSB’s map to professional registration competencies and requirements.

This approach will lead to apprentices having an eligibility to access a fast-tracked route to professional registration, using their apprenticeship certificate as the base of their application, making it a more accessible and progressional process, from apprenticeship achievement to registration.

Collaborative Networks: The Education and Skills Network

SocEnv has a great network of passionate individuals that enables convening and collaboration, which is why we are creating an Education and Skills Network, formed by SocEnv Licensed Members and other stakeholders within the community too.  By creating a platform for discussion, the wider opportunities of engaging with educational programmes, initiatives and stakeholders can be explored.  Collectively, this can lead to increasing the visibility of the SocEnv registers within educational institutions, helping students and apprentices understand the benefits of pursuing these credentials.

Accreditation and Endorsement

Recognising that not all individuals pursuing green careers have the work-based experience required for current registrations within their educational programme, SocEnv is exploring opportunities that could allow individuals to be recognised for their educational achievement and commitment to environmental work, even if they currently lack hands-on experience.

This support will act as a stepping stone towards the competence-based registrations, REnvTech, REnvP and CEnv, ensuring access to the support framework that can facilitate transition into professional roles.  This thread looks to explore the potential and implement a model that can offer most support, growing the professional community of environmentalists at all stages of their career.

Meaningful Engagement with Educational Providers

Engagement with educational providers is critical for the success of this initiative. By collaborating with universities, training providers, further education institutions, independent training providers and End Point Assessment Organisations (as some examples), students pursuing green careers can be made aware of the professional registration options available to them. This engagement will not only raise awareness, but also help develop case studies and resources that illustrate the value of professional registration in green jobs.

Raising the Profile and Prestige of Green Jobs

At the heart of this initiative is the desire to raise the profile and prestige of green jobs, placing a spotlight of the educational pathways that can lead to them. SocEnv aims to highlight the contributions of registered professionals to their employers, sectors, and society as a whole. Celebrating the achievements of individuals who have successfully navigated educational pathways into green careers can inspire others to follow suit.

By creating clear, accessible routes to professional registration, SocEnv aims to support individuals in their career development and contribute to the growth and prestige of green jobs. As the world continues to focus on addressing environmental challenges, the importance and relevance of a well-trained, professionally recognised workforce will only increase.

This initiative contributes support to individuals pursuing green careers, ensuring they have the support and structure they need to succeed, while also raising the profile of the vital work they do in protecting our planet.

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