The IES has made changes to the criteria by which it decides on an appropriate grade of membership for environmental professionals. Historically, the IES membership grading system was designed around academic graduates, but with recent changes to the technical education landscape we now give additional consideration of candidates holding technical qualifications. This aligns with our strategic aim of creating open pathways into the profession.
With a national drive to increase the range and quality of Level 3, 4 and 5 technical qualifications, and a growing number of professionals entering the sector having undertaken technical education, the IES wants to ensure it is welcoming to members from diverse career pathways.
The new awarding criteria is more generous in the points it awards to Levels 3-5 qualifications, boosting the number of points given to Level 5 qualifications by 1 point, Level 4 by 2 points, and taking consideration of a Level 3 qualifications for the first time. These changes lower the minimum requirement of Associate membership from a Bachelors degree to a Level 5 qualification, and provides a simpler system where the points mirror the academic levels (with the exception of PhD).
| Qualification | Relevant | Non-relevant |
|---|---|---|
| PhD | 10 | 5 |
| Masters | 7 | 3.5 |
| PgDip | 6.5 | 3 |
| Bachelors | 6 | 3 |
| Foundation Degree / HND or other Level 5 technical qualification / Level 5 Apprenticeship | 5 | 2.5 |
| Level 4 Apprenticeship / HNC or other Level 4 technical qualification | 4 | 2 |
| 3 A Levels / 1 T-Level / Level 3 Apprenticeship / other Level 3 technical qualification | 3 | 1.5 |
A small working group from the IES education committee, CEDHE, reviewed the range of technical qualifications currently on offer and determined their relevance, these are now included in the List of Relevant Environmental Courses. Some technical educational routes contribute to both the academic and work requirements. If a course is not listed, applicants can provide a justification of how their qualification has directly furthered their understanding of environmental science, which may lead to the determination of relevance by the assessors.
Affiliate and Associate members with technical qualifications should review these changes to see if it means that they can regrade to a higher grade of membership.
