North West group takes activities online

The IEMA North West Regional Group is a group of volunteers from a range of different disciplines that helps to deliver IEMA's key aims and support membership development in line with the sustainability skills map.

During Q4 2020, we delivered three webinars across different topics.

Moving activities online presented a challenge, but by working closely with IEMA and having dedicated teams from the regional group help deliver webinars, we were able to deliver informative events. Each was hosted by a North West group representative, with additional group members present to support delivery. We have been able to reach a much wider audience, with the three webinars having had more than 450 bookings.

Shirley Parsons and IEMA Futures hosted a webinar on Career Guidance and Development in the Sustainability Sector, which covered the importance of CPD and the sustainability skills map. A webinar on Achieving Zero Carbon in the North West involved case studies and speakers from the Growth Company: Crystal Doors and the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Finally, a webinar on Flood Resilience, with a focus on the North West, included speakers from the Environment Agency, The Flood Hub, Arcadis, and Stormwater Shepherds.

Feedback has been encouraging, with comments including: “A wide variety of speakers with different expertise, lots of practical suggestions“ and “Lots of interesting points made and very encouraging to see both public and private sector making some great inroads in becoming net-zero“.

Our aim is to provide resources for the membership that can be used for professional development. We are now planning our next webinars for Q1 2021. Topics we are working on include CPD, career resilience, environmental impact assessment, Brexit and legal obligations. If there is a topic you would like to see delivered, or you would like to help support our activities, contact [email protected] – it would be great to hear from you.

By A Scully, Chair, IEMA North West