Environmental health practitioner
Environmental health practitioners (EHPs) act as advisers, educators, consultants, managers and enforcement officers, ensuring people are able to live, work and play in safe, healthy environments.
EHPs are responsible for developing, implementing and enforcing health policies, using specialist technical skills and knowledge to maintain and safeguard standards relating to people's health and well-being. They may be generalists or may specialise in specific areas of the industry, such as:
They liaise closely with officers from related council departments, as well as with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) .
Tasks vary according to whether you deal with all environmental health issues or whether you specialise in a particular area. However, typical work activities are likely to include:
For an overview of work activities in the different specialist roles, see the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) website .
To become a qualified environmental health practitioner (EHP), an honours degree (BSc) or postgraduate degree (MSc) in environmental health accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) in Scotland, is essential.
Accredited courses are available to study full time, part time or in integrated/sandwich formats. Study is combined with work-based learning plus professional assessments after graduating, before becoming a fully qualified EHP.
Graduates who have at least a second class honours degree in another subject, or who have equivalent qualifications and experience, may be able to enter an accredited postgraduate MSc course. Candidates are usually expected to hold a degree in a science-based discipline or a subject closely related to environmental health.
Graduates from accredited foundation degree programmes may be able to top up to an accredited BSc degree.
For a list of accredited foundation, BSc and MSc courses see the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) website.
For those without a degree, it is possible to work as an environmental health technician whilst studying part time for a degree in environmental health.
Pre-entry work experience is useful as it can provide an insight into the profession, as well as helping to secure training placement opportunities. Local authorities may offer short periods of work experience. It may be possible to work shadow an experienced practitioner to find out more about the profession.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
A full UK driving licence is required for most positions.
Competition for course places may be high so it is advisable to apply early. In some instances, relevant work experience is a prerequisite. Training placements are embedded within courses but students may need to find their own placement, which may be easier to access if you have already made contact with a relevant organisation. Training placements are offered by a wide range of organisations, including local authorities, private sector companies, central government departments and the National Health Service.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Becoming qualified as an environmental health practitioner (EHP) involves both academic study and practical training. This is done through either a sandwich course, which integrates theoretical training with practical training, or end-on practical training after academic study.
The course must be accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) , and on completion graduates must submit a satisfactory work-based learning portfolio of evidence and pass a two-part examination consisting of a single, substantial case study concentrating on environmental health interventions and an interview. On successful completion, the Certificate of Registration is awarded by the Environmental Health Registration Board (EHRB) , which is administered by the CIEH. This signifies qualified EHP status and is the qualification recognised by government bodies and local authorities.
Continuing professional development (CPD) is required to maintain professional status. All practising CIEH members have to undertake a set requirement of CPD hours per year, which involves attendance at a range of courses, seminars and conferences, where other relevant skills, such as management training, may also be developed.
In Scotland, the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) Scheme of Practical Training consists of a minimum of 48 weeks with a Scottish local authority and requires students to produce a training record that details the practical work carried out, its relationship to the scheme and indicating its connection to achieving a particular skill or competence.
Students can undertake the training in the vacation during their degree course or can defer all training until the completion of their course. Students must pass the Professional Examination, which assesses their professional competence in each of the programme areas. Successful candidates are awarded the REHIS Diploma in Environmental Health and become qualified EHPs. See the REHIS website for full details.
For career and training information in Ireland, see the Irish Environmental Health Officers Association .
Many environmental health practitioners (EHPs) work in teams, headed by a team leader or senior officer, and will pursue a general career and deal with a wide range of functions. Everyone who trains to become a qualified EHP will gain the broad knowledge base required for the generalist role. Those who decide to remain as general practitioners are most in demand in smaller, mainly rural, local authorities where they will deal with all environmental-related activities.
However, there are also an increasing number of opportunities to become specialists in specific areas of environmental health, such as food safety, health and safety at work, housing or public health. Larger organisations offer more opportunities to develop specialised, more defined roles.
Gaining chartered status from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and undertaking agreed levels of continuing professional development (CPD) will enable progression to more senior posts. Those with chartered status are multi-skilled professionals who are able to offer support and advice across all, or most, areas of environmental health.
There are many opportunities for career development, especially within local authorities that have large environmental health departments, with well-established promotion routes to more senior posts. Opportunities may also exist to become head of a much larger department employing other built environment professionals. It is also possible for professionals to move between local authorities and between organisations in the private sector in order to gain broader experience and seek more senior positions.
There are opportunities to move into lecturing work in universities or as a consultant, which can provide more scope for the development of personal interests. There are also opportunities for employment overseas, with British qualifications widely accepted and respected in many countries.
Many environmental health practitioners (EHPs) are employed by local authorities and are responsible for protecting public health, housing conditions, food safety, environmental protection and health and safety at work. Local authority environmental health departments tend to contain both chartered practitioners and a range of technical officers who have competencies in one or more of the specialised areas.
EHPs are also employed by the NHS and the armed forces as well as central government and its agencies, such as:
However, there are also opportunities with companies in the private sector, including:
Opportunities also exist for experienced EHPs to work for private consultancies in specialist roles, for example advising businesses of their legal duties and helping them maintain good environmental standards.
Accredited BSc and MSc courses are accepted worldwide and opportunities are available with organisations such as the European Commission and in countries such as the USA, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. There are also opportunities in the developing world where EHPs work to ensure the sustainable development of communities.
Recruitment agencies also handle vacancies. For details of member agencies see the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) website.
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