At their annual Awards and Lectures event held on the 4th June at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Society for the Environment launched the “Employer Champion” recognition programmes. The Employer Champion programmes allow organisations of all sizes to apply to become a “CEnv Employer Champion”, an “REnvTech Employer Champion” or both, highlighting the organisations that champion their Registered employees.

With ever-increasing numbers of CEnv's and REnvTech's within the IES membership, it would be great to see some more of our members' organisation's represented.

By supporting aspiring CEnv and REnvTech registrants to reach a milestone in their careers, and by enhancing the positioning of current registrants, an organisation will:

• elevate its brand;
• increase trust and positioning;
• help it to win new work and satisfy current clients;
• improve employee job satisfaction;
• attract higher quality job applicants;
• prove staff competence in legal proceedings;
• showcase a commitment to environmental protection;
• gain further opportunities to showcase environmental case studies and achievements; and
• increase the environmental standing of the sector as a whole.

During the official launch on the 4th June – the eve of World Environment Day – Chief Executive of the Society, Dr Emma Wilcox, presented the first six successful organisations with their respective Employer Champion certificates. In alphabetical order, these included:

• Anglian Water - CEnv and REnvTech
• Arup - CEnv
• Atkins, Member of the SNC-Lavalin Group - CEnv
• Environment Agency - CEnv
• Skanska - CEnv
• Willmott Dixon - CEnv

These six organisations were part of a pilot group that collectively developed the requirements for each Employer Champion programme, allowing them the opportunity to become the inaugural recipients of the certificates. To be successful in their application, organisations must satisfactorily detail responses to the outlined questions on a simple application form. The application covers areas such as:

• the number of current CEnv / REnvTech registrants employed;
• support provided for current and aspiring registrants;
• access to mentoring;
• opportunity for progression, and;
• senior management / Director level support.

Expanding on the new Employer Champion programme, Dr Emma Wilcox said:

“We are aware of the fantastic support that some organisations provide in relation to the CEnv and REnvTech registrations and we are delighted to be able to highlight them in this way. However, we want to do more than champion organisations that encourage and celebrate professional registration – we also want to listen to them. This is a great learning opportunity on both sides. This relationship between the Society and employers will allow us to ensure that our professional registrations are future proof and continue to meet the requirements of those who employ registered environmental professionals.”

The Society for the Environment and the IES, therefore, invite you to showcase your organisation’s commitment to championing the environmental experts you employ by applying to gain CEnv Employer Champion or REnvTech Employer Champion status (or both!) - at no cost. Employer Champions can span across a huge range of sectors and vary in size, but they all employ and support registered environmental professionals.

To find out more and to apply, please visit socenv.org.uk/employer-champions