University of Birmingham, Environmental Health Careers Day – Celebrating the Multifarious EHP Pathway

Dr Daniel Drage, BSc (Hons), MCIEH, Lecturer in Environmental Health Sciences, shares his experience of hosting a careers event bringing together students and EHPs to highlight the diverse array of roles within the field.

On 12th Jan 2024 I was fortunate enough to host my first careers day for environmental health (and related) students. The day was aimed at showcasing the variety of different roles and responsibilities to our students My goodness, we certainly achieved that with representatives attending from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Environment Agency, Shield Safety, UKHSA, Birmingham City Council, Halton Council, and Worcestershire Regulatory Services. It was a particular pleasure that a number of our professionals started their environmental health careers at the University of Birmingham and were able to inspire our students by showcasing their wealth of achievements since they graduated.

The day started with a broader talk from Louise Hosking around the various career opportunities in environmental health, who did a great job of highlighting the twists and turns of her own diverse career, starting with her foundation in local authority.

Our guest speakers were then given the task of pitching the variety of roles available, followed by an informal panel where any questions could be asked. They all did a fantastic job of creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere from the start (as did our compere Phill Williams from the University’s Careers Network). This meant the engagement from both sides was extremely high, and students and guests ended up staying way past the time I had booked the room for!

The range of speakers on the day proved to be a fantastic advert for environmental health and the range of activities involved. From fly-tipping, food hygiene and statutory nuisance calls, to chemical incidents, the pandemic and air pollution management we really crammed it all in. We even had time for some in-depth critical discussion on the future of environmental health – something this next generation of practitioners is going to need to have a big say in.

We may have some sizeable gaps to fill in terms of workforce numbers, but that’s not to say that this isn’t an exciting career option. What I was reminded of (and what the students will have discovered) is that there is such a vast array of opportunities in environmental health with no day quite the same. The breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that practitioners gain (both in their degree, and continually throughout their careers), is arguably unrivalled by any other sector, and this is something that should be celebrated and more widely recognised.

The MSc Environmental Health is a very intense year for our students. And during this year it is always a joy to watch them develop so quickly as they rapidly increase their skills and knowledge base. They are a very talented group, and the future of the profession – already with some fantastic ideas. So, it was essential to connect them with our experienced practitioners to help plan the next steps of the Environmental Health journeys. It was inspiring to see the discussions go beyond the individuals and their careers and into an in-depth discussions around national and global challenges of all things environmental health.

The day was extremely successful, and I was very pleased to see conversations continue long after the final session closed. I would like to say a particular thank you to Louise Hosking (CIEH), Rob Easton (Shield Safety), Chris Jewell (UKHSA), Richard Williams (Environment Agency), Nathan Matthews (Halton Council), Wai-Tung Ng, Jaspreet Mandair, Zaynah Maan, Janet Bradley (all Birmingham City Council), Adrian Allman (Worcestershire Regulatory Services) and all the attending students who participated in such an engaging event.