The following list offers some example roles and the types of entry requirements they may have:
Environmental health technicians: food premises inspection
The Higher Certificate in Food Premises Inspection (HCFPI) provides a way for someone who has not qualified as an environmental health practitioner to inspect food premises for a Food Enforcement Authority. You need to successfully complete an HCFPI course accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). The course covers food microbiology, food science and technology, food law and criminal law, building construction and building services in relation to food businesses, and risk assessments. It requires a minimum of six months of practical training, the completion of a logbook, and a professional interview. When you have successfully completed all elements of the course you will be awarded the HCFPI by the Environmental Health Registration Board and your name will appear in the HCFPI register.
Environmental health technicians: food control
The Higher Certificate in Food Control (HCFC) provides a way for someone who has not qualified as an environmental health practitioner to inspect, seize and detain food, and also to inspect food premises for a Food Enforcement Authority. You will first need to obtain the Higher Certificate for Food Premises Inspection, then complete accredited modules for Food Standards and Food Premises Inspection. When you have successfully completed all elements of the course, you will be awarded the HCFC by the Environmental Health Registration Board and your name will appear in the HCFC register.
Environmental health practitioners
Anyone wishing to work as an environmental health practitioner must first obtain a degree or higher degree level qualification that is accredited by the CIEH. A BSc Environmental Health Practitioner degree apprenticeship has been approved for delivery. To get onto a degree apprenticeship, you will need to apply for an apprentice position with an employer. You can search for vacancies on the Local Government Jobs website and Find an Apprenticeship website.
Accredited BSc and MSc degrees in Environmental Health can be studied either full-time or part-time at a growing number of universities. Study is combined with work-based learning, from which you will build up a portfolio.You can also find these courses listed on the course finder on our website.
Graduation is followed by professional assessments, to obtain a Certificate of Registration from the Environmental Health Registration Board, at which point you will become a fully qualified ‘Environmental Health Practitioner’ (more information can be found on the CIEH website). In Scotland, on passing the professional exams, you will be awarded the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland’s (REHIS) Diploma in Environmental Health, the qualification required to become an ‘Environmental Health Officer’.
Your training will provide you with a broad knowledge-base in all aspects of environmental health practice (food safety; health and safety at work; environmental protection; housing; and public health), which means you can provide first-level support in most areas of environmental health.
Once you have qualified as an environmental health practitioner or environmental health officer, you can choose to remain a generalist or specialise in a particular area.
Generalist environmental health practitioners cover all aspects of environmental health and can work in a variety of environments from day to day. Some environmental health practitioners choose to extend their knowledge and skills in a certain area. They go on to obtain further qualifications, eg a diploma in Acoustics or Health and Safety, or a master’s degree in Public Health.
