IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management

The IEMA Foundation Certificate is designed to raise the professional competence of environmental practitioners by providing training aimed at those who have only recently become involved in environmental management or for whom environmental management is an integral part of a wide range of responsibilities.

What will you get out of it? 

- An understanding of the ways in which an organisation impacts on the environment 
- An appreciation of how environmental issues can be incorporated into the management of an organisation 
- An understanding of environmental legislation 
- An awareness of the means of assessing an organisation’s environmental performance 
- To be able to outline the ways in which an Environmental Management System operates

What does it cover?

The course is divided into 3 modules over 4 days: 

- Module 1 - Sustainable business thinking 
- Module 2 - Environmental legislation 
- Module 3 - Tools for the assessment and interpretation of Environmental Performance

Assessment of delegate knowledge and understanding of the learning outcomes will be tested through a combination of examination, continual assessment and practical exercises.

Module 1: Sustainable Business Thinking

Candidates will understand the issues, science and philosophy that underpin environmental management to a level that enables them to communicate the key environmental issues and their relevance to business.

Learning Objectives:

After completion of this section a candidate will be able to: 
- Appreciate the background behind environmental issues; and 
- Understand the ways in which an organisation impacts on the environment.

Learning Outcomes: 

- Understand the key environmental issues and their relevance to business, e.g. climate change, greenhouse effect, acid rain, ozone depletion, pollution of land, air and water, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, population growth and consumption, non-renewable resource use and desertification. 
- Understand the importance of integrating environmental issues into the business process and the potential business benefits of doing so. 
- Have an appreciation of the driving forces leading to the introduction of environmental management systems into an organisation and their potential benefits. 
- Understand the principles and benefits of effective resource use.

Module 2: Legislation

Candidates will be able to identify relevant legislation for an organisation and describe how an organisation can demonstrate compliance with environmental legal requirements on completion of this module.

Learning Objectives:

After completion of this section a candidate will be able to: 
- Appreciate how environmental legislative issues evolve. 
- Explain how legislation relates to an organisation's operations.

Learning Outcomes: 

- Outline the structure of UK & national environmental legislation. 
- Understand the potential impact of key pieces of legislation on business. 
- Appreciate the role of the key regulatory agencies. 
- Explain how economic instruments influence environmental behaviour.

Module 3: Tools for the Assessment and Interpretation of Environmental Performance

A candidate will be able to outline how assessing environmental performance can provide information on which effective environmental management decisions can be based.

Learning Objectives:

After completion of this section a candidate will be able to: 
- Outline means of assessing environmental performance

Learning Outcomes: 

- Describe the purpose and nature of the initial environmental review 
- Outline how an environmental review is conducted 
- Help to identify significant environmental impacts of the organisations 
- Understand the purpose and nature of an environmental audit 
- Outline how an audit is carried out.

Module 4: Environmental Management Systems

A candidate will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the key elements of an environmental management system.

Learning Objectives:

After completion of this section a candidate will be able to: 
- Outline the key components of an environmental management system.

Learning Outcomes: 

- Demonstrate an understanding of the key elements of ISO14001. 
- Be aware of the scope of the ISO14000 series standards and their relationship with other management systems specifications. 
- Take on an active role within the environmental management process.