Graduate Membership Standard

We’re already looking to the next generation of sustainability professionals. We’re looking to you.

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Leaders of the future

We’re already looking to the next generation of sustainability professionals. We’re looking to you.

Becoming an IEMA Graduate is a decisive first step towards a transformational role in business. On the way you’ll encounter new opportunities, deepen your knowledge and build relationships to last a lifetime. You’ll gain recognition and earning potential too. We’re ready to guide and support you all the way. Because by working together, we have a chance to reset the norms of business and uncover the way to a bright future for everyone.

Download the Membership StandardsLearn more about individual membershipBecome a Graduate member now

Core knowledge competencies

  • 1. Fundamentals of Sustainability
  • 2. Principles and Issues of Business Governance

1. Explain the implications of global trends for the environment, for society, for the economy and for organisations.

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge by:

  • Explaining the global mega-trends driving the need to transform the world to sustainability
  • Explaining the concept of sustainable development
  • Explaining how the UN's Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for action
  • Describing the five sustainable capitals and the dependencies between them
  • Explaining how environmental limits and the equalities agenda are fundamental to maintaining economic growth and sustainable capital
  • Explaining how current economic activity regularly creates unintended environmental and social consequences, locally and globally
  • Recognising that delivering sustainable outcomes involves applying sustainability skills to overcome internal and external challenges.

2. Explain sustainable business/governance models, their underlying principles and their relationship with organisations, products and services

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge by:

  • Explaining the role of ethics in individual and organisational decision-making
  • Explaining the importance of accountability, equalities (incl: gender equality), inclusivity, integrity, stewardship, transparency, cultural context and engagement
  • Explaining the importance of corporate responsibility, corporate sustainability and sustainable business practice
  • Describing the differences between balancing and resolving interactions between social, environmental and economic issues in the context of sustainable development
  • Explaining the concept of safe operating space and to what extent they can impact an organisation
  • Describing the sustainable business models that will help drive the transition to a sustainable economy.

Technical knowledge competencies

  • 3. Issues and Principles
  • 4. Policy, Regulation and Legislation
  • 5. Management and Assessment Tools
  • 6. Innovative and Leading Practices

3. Explain environmental or socio-economic principles and their relationship with organisations, products and services

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge in their field by:

Environment

  • Explaining the importance of natural cycles, ecological systems, ecosystem services and environmental limits, and their impact on your organisation
  • Explaining the impact of human interventions on natural ecological systems, habitats, species and individuals
  • Describing pollution sources, pathways and receptors

Socio-economic

  • Explaining the importance of the need to tackle global inequalities and a social protection floor and their impact on your organisation
  • Explaining the impact of human interventions on social systems, cultural practices, community cohesion and individuals
  • Describing the social and physical determinants of health

You don't need to cover both environment and socio-economic, you pick one pathway for your application or upgrade.

4. Explain major policy and legislation and their implications for organisations, products and services

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge in their field by:

  • Explaining how sustainability issues link to policy
  • Outlining the main types of law and the relationship between international, national and sub-national law
  • Describing key policy instruments in place and how they can be used to achieve sustainable change
  • Explaining key principles and how they have been applied within policies
  • Explaining key legislation
  • Outlining the role of regulators and penalties for non-compliance
  • Identifying relevant stakeholders that influence issues and policy development and explaining their roles
  • Explaining the benefits and opportunities organisations can achieve in moving beyond compliance

5. Identify major and relevant tools, techniques, systems and practices, their application and how they can be used to develop sustainable products and services and improve sustainability performance

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge in their field by:

  • Explaining the application of major management tools, techniques and system, their advantages and disadvantages, and their application
  • Explaining the concept of lifecycle thinking, its benefits and challenges, and illustrating its application in decision-making
  • Explaining the different roles people play in delivering sustainable outcomes, and their interactions
  • Describing the tools, techniques, systems and practices used by organisations to manage compliance and non-compliance
  • Describing the role verification and assurance plays in improving sustainability performance.

6. Explain the role of innovation and other leading practices in developing sustainable products and services and providing sustainable solutions

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge in their field by:

  • Explaining how innovation and other leading practices can be used to develop sustainable products and services and provide sustainable solutions
  • Explaining innovation and how the principles of innovation can be applied in any given context.

Skills for sustainable leadership

  • 7. Analytical Thinking
  • 8. Problem Reframing and Resolution
  • 9. Effective Communication
  • 10. Relationship Development
  • 11. Resilience, Risk and Continual Improvement
  • 12. Delivering Sustainable Solutions
  • 13. Leadership for Change

7. Collect data, perform analysis, and evaluate information

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to show knowledge in this area by:

  • Identifying relevant sources of data and describing techniques used to collect, process, and store accurate data
  • Explaining the importance of relevant and accurate data
  • Describing how to analyse and interpret data/information to draw appropriate conclusions and make practical recommendations that improve sustainability performance
  • Describing methods to monitor a programme to improve sustainability performance.

8. Research and plan to provide sustainable solutions

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to show knowledge in this area by:

  • Identifying the benefits of research, planning and keeping up-to-date with innovations to provide sustainable solutions.

9. Deliver effective communication and capture feedback

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to show knowledge in this area by:

  • Explain the role effective communication plays in achieving sustainable outcomes
  • Identifying a range of internal and external stakeholder
  • Describing the difference between informing, consulting and engaging.

10. Engage with stakeholders

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to show knowledge in this area by:

  • Identifying the benefits of collaboration and cooperation in responding to sustainability challenges, particularly when facing the same issues
  • Identify ways of constructively challenging behaviours.

11. Outline tools and techniques that identify opportunities and risks

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to show knowledge in this area by:

  • Outlining tools and techniques that can be used to identify and understand risks and opportunities
  • Determine the nature of risks related to sustainability challenges.

12. Identify and propose ways to improve performance

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to show knowledge in this area by:

  • Outlining how a long-term vision for sustainability, with milestones and targets, can improve sustainability performance
  • Identifying key project management techniques that, when used, can deliver sustainable outcomes
  • Outlining how a financial return on investment and wider benefits can create a business case for sustainability
  • Outlining how contracting and procurement can be a vital component of improving sustainability performance.

13. Support change and transformation to improve sustainability

Assessment criteria

The Graduate will be able to show knowledge in this area by:

  • Outlining the principles of change management.

Graduate Membership overview

  • What is it?

    A launchpad for graduates who want to take on a transformational role in business.

  • Who is it for?

    University graduates from across the subject spectrum, who have recently graduated. You must confirm that your course covered three or more of the following criteria: 

    1. Global megatrends and their impact on sustainability (e.g. population growth, climate change, global middle class, urbanisation, resource scarcity)
    2. Sustainable development (e.g. triple bottom line concept, Brundtland definition, UN Sustainable Development Goals)
    3. Corporate Responsibility (e.g. ethics, accountability, equalities, inclusivity, integrity, stewardship, engagement, cultural context, transparency)
    4. Natural cycles, ecosystems, biodiversity and the impact of pollution
    5. Environment and sustainability principles and issues and associated policy and legislation (international, regional or national).
    6. Tools and techniques for assessing and managing environment, social, economic issues and improving sustainability performance of organisations, products and services, or new developments (e.g. management systems, auditing, Impact Assessment, corporate reporting, lifecycle assessment).

  • Where on the journey?

    Graduate membership is a decisive first career move and the start of your progression towards becoming an IEMA Practitioner, as you apply your skills and knowledge.

  • What do you get?

    Badge and suffix: Gain professional recognition and continue your development

    1. Share your knowledge and expertise on your social channels and profiles with the IEMA membership digital badge and suffix
    2. Demonstrate your level of competency using the IEMA Sustainability Skills Map
    3. Record your CPD activity with IEMA's portal to show how you are up to speed with the latest thinking and developments

    Events and networking: Connect globally with sustainability professionals

    1. Free access to IEMA Connect, the annual environment and sustainability conference
    2. Free access to UK and World regional networks and IEMA Futures events
    3. Discounts on industry events through IEMA partnerships
      Opportunity to volunteer for a UK or World steering group

    Webinars: Learn with exclusive video content - live and recorded

    1. Free access to member-only webinar programmes, such as the How To series
    2. Exclusive access to our watch again video library (1000+ videos)

    Toolkits: Practical guidances, toolkits and other resources

    1. Free access to more than 60 guidance documents and toolkits in each of the Policy and Practice areas
    2. Latest developments straight to your inbox through exclusive membership email updates

    Transform magazine: Keep relevant with Transform - our member magazine

    1. 6 print editions of Transform magazine per year delivered straight to your door
    2. Regular digital editions of Transform and content by guest editors
    3. Access to partner webinars

    Compliance platform: Be confident in your compliance with navigate-environment

    1. Free access to Navigate-Environment Lite, a dedicated information service to help you stay informed on all the latest guidance and legislation
    2. 30% discount on the complete Navigate-Environment platform

    Policy engagement: Share your experience and help shape public policy

    1. Exclusive access to join IEMA's policy networks: Climate Change and Energy, Biodiversity and Natural Capital, Circular Economy, Impact Assessment, Environmental Management, Social Sustainability or Sustainable Finance
    2. Feed into IEMA positions, statements and reports on key sustainability issues
    3. Opportunity to join roundtable discussions with senior parliamentarians

    News, blogs and podcast: Stay informed with the latest sustainability news

    1. Be the first to know of the latest news and developments via iema.net
    2. Get the IEMA podcast straight to your inbox
    3. Read and contribute to the IEMA Blog

  • How do you get it?

    It’s easy to join online. Tell us about you and your plans. You’ll need proof of your graduation from an approved or relevant degree or programme.

  • What does your organisation get?

    Graduate membership is the mark of employees with essential skills for building future-proof organisations. By providing Graduate membership for your graduate recruits you can be confident that they’ll have the support, training resources, information and professional connections they need to perform to their full potential and help to drive change.

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Ready to become a GradIEMA?

Becoming an IEMA Graduate is a decisive first step towards a transformational role in business. Join now or upgrade your student membership. 

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