Findings of the 2019 Environmental Professionals Survey demonstrate value of professional registration

The results of the 2019 Environmental Professionals Survey undertaken by the Society for the Environment reveal a largely positive snapshot of the environmental profession.

The results demonstrate that Professional Registrations are valued increasingly highly by Environmental Professionals and employers, as well as showing a growing confidence among professionals of the impact they have in delivering environmental protection.

As Custodians of the Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Registered Environmental Technician (REnvTech) registers, the Society for the Environment ran its biennial survey between early February and mid-March of this year and received 615 responses. The survey asked registrants a number of questions relating to their registration, job security as well as their engagement with the Society.

Among the key findings, the survey found that an increasingly high number (eighty per cent) of CEnv registrants are likely or very likely to recommend CEnv registration, an increase of twelve per cent from our 2017 survey.

The results also show that employers are holding Professional Registrations and Professional Body memberships in higher regard, with seventy per cent of registrants saying they know or think their professional registration is valued by their employer – an eight per cent increase from 2017. Also encouraging is a ten per cent rise in the number of registrants who said their Professional Body membership is paid for by their employer – reaching a total of sixty-three per cent.

When reflecting on the state of the environmental profession, registrants were optimistic. Thirty-two percent of respondents felt they were having a large impact in delivering environmental protection, compared to nineteen per cent in 2017. In a new question for the 2019 survey, registrants were asked to look ahead over the next five years, with sixty-seven per cent reporting they were somewhat or very optimistic about the ability of Environmental Professionals to deliver gains in environmental protection.

Registrants also showed greater confidence in their job security. Thirty-two per cent said they were somewhat or very confident they could find equivalent employment in the next month – a rise of three per cent from two years prior. When extended to three months, fifty-five per cent were confident that they would be able to find equivalent employment, compared to fifty per cent in 2017.

Dr Emma Wilcox, Chief Executive Officer of the Society for the Environment, said:

“These results contain many positive signs for the environmental profession. The competence requirements set out within CEnv and REnvTech mean that these registrations are key to ensuring high standards throughout the profession. As demonstrated by these results, registrants and employers are placing increased value on registration, which is hugely encouraging in envisioning a future where registration is an industry norm. We are also pleased to see the findings reflect a confident profession, with professionals looking ahead to the many challenges we face with optimism.

The survey has also helped us recognise where we can improve to help our registrants and the profession as a whole. Asked what they would like us to produce or share more of, good or best practice guides and greater Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities were the most popular choices, cited by fifty-five per cent of respondents. In response to these findings, we have established a dedicated ‘Knowledge Hub’ section of our website which you can find at: https://socenv.org.uk/KnowledgeHub. This has been developed to serve as a hub of information and expertise – sharing good practice guides and insightful expert-led webinars and podcasts, alongside other great sources of information and advice. We are always on the lookout for more sources to share, so if would like to suggest some new content, please contact Sarah Ridgeon. We are also looking to expand our CPD opportunities – so watch this space!”