IEMA is increasingly working with large employers to ensure that environment professionals are effectively supported and developed.
On 29 July, the Institute held its first employer forum, made up of organisations that employ significant numbers of IEMA members. The employer forum has been established to support organisations to collaborate, build capability, and help develop innovative products and services.
Representatives from Atkins, Skanska, WSP, Network Rail, BAE Systems, Siemens, Wilmott Dixon, AWE, Sellafield, Ricoh, EDF, URS, Rolls-Royce, the Ministry of Defence and BP met the Institute’s management team to explore and develop how it can support businesses to maximise the take-up and use of environment and sustainability skills.
By becoming members of the forum, these leading organisations have acknowledged that they need to upskill their entire workforces, supply chains, customers and consumers in order to deliver strategic corporate sustainability objectives.
The session was aimed at establishing a common understanding of the importance of environment and sustainability knowledge and skills across the workforce to ensure resilience, agility, productivity and competitiveness.
An important outcome was agreement on the challenge and the need to collaborate on a skills solution to ensure economies worldwide are equipped to succeed and survive.
From this initial meeting, IEMA aims to establish a structure for such partnerships with employers. Jonathan Nobbs, IEMA’s head of partnerships, said the event was the first of many activities planned by the institute to ensure employers worldwide have access to skills.
“We held this very successful first employers’ forum event to ensure that we engage with organisations – at what is a very important time for skills – in the best and most impactful way,” said Nobbs.
“This day laid great foundations for some very exciting future work with employers worldwide so I’d like to thank these ‘founding members’ for offering their insight.”
The next forum meeting will be held in October to further progress objectives and actions. If you would like to know more, contact [email protected].
