The next step

On the new training courses

[Further Information]

http www iema net

[]

New environmental training courses available

Green up your staff

If you ask your staff to take on basic environmental duties, e.g. developing energy-saving and recycling strategies, setting up waste management contracts, etc., providing them with some training is vital. If you don’t, you run the risk of them making a mistake because the systems they need to negotiate can be complex. So are these newly developed courses ones that you should consider?

What’s on offer?

There are three courses available, and the relevance depends on the aptitude of the staff being trained (see The next step ):

• Level 2 - working with environment sustainability - this is a one-day course for staff “in any role” and will provide them with an insight into how to do their jobs “in a greener way”
• Level 4 - managing with environmental sustainability - this is for managers and supervisors and provides an operational understanding of the environment
• leading with environmental sustainability - this is for board members and senior executives.

What they cover

The courses cover the usual areas such as waste management, resource efficiency, energy efficiency etc. According to the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) the courses are different from basic environmental training because they put things in a “relevant business context” .

Note. A series of pilots took place before the courses were launched. Details of a couple of these are given on IEMA’s website (see The next step ). Royal Mail, for example, found that recycling has increased and energy use has been cut at the sites where its staff were sent on the course.

Are these for you?

These courses have been designed to look at environmental issues from a business perspective. This is a good thing as it should help your staff to develop systems that benefit both the environment and your bottom line.

Benefit. These courses have been developed by recognised organisations so if you’re asked to prove your environmental credentials, for example during a tender process, stating that your staff have attended one should get you the appropriate tick in the box.

Tip 1. The courses range from half a day to two days, and cost between £150 and £500. As a result, if your trained staff can come up with plans to help you to recycle more - as was the case at Royal Mail - your investment should pay off in no time at all.

Tip 2. Be aware that these courses aren’t designed to make staff experts in environmental permits, pollution control and monitoring, etc. IEMA offers a number of other courses which cover these areas. Further details can be found on its website.

For further information on the courses (EN 08.06.06A) and for a link to the IEMA website (EN 08.06.06B), visit http://tipsandadvice-environment.co.uk/download .