We appreciate you may have some questions following the launch of the new look IEMA and our new membership journey. We hope the FAQs we’ve listed here help answer anything you’re not sure about.

If you would like to speak to a member of our team, get in touch on +44 (0) 1522 540069 or email [email protected].

What has changed?

  • We’ve made some changes to the membership structure, with some new points of entry. Your career path is now much clearer and there are new ways to help you upgrade as you gain more experience.
  • We have refreshed the look and feel of our brand, so you now see a new logo, a fresher website and the membership benefits you have access to are much clearer.

Why have things changed?

  • We carried out an all-member consultation in 2013 and members gave some very specific feedback about the value of IEMA membership.
  • A lot of members said they wanted it to be much more relevant to their work and upgrading needed to be much more attractive.
  • Some said they had a hard time explaining why their membership was important to their employer, so we’ve done a lot of work to make sure that won’t be the case anymore.
  • We have used that feedback, as well as some work we’ve done with employers, training providers and universities, to reshape membership as a whole and make sure all the levels are really meaningful and valuable from now on.

It says IEMA has worked with members, but I wasn’t consulted. Why not?

  • We did our initial and biggest part of the consultation in Summer 2013, so if you joined since then that may be why.
  • A fully-represented cross-section of the membership were invited to some further consultation workshops last summer to keep the review current.
  • We appreciate not all members could get involved but we tried to ensure as many had the chance to contribute as possible.
  • The review work we have done has been incredibly in-depth so we have taken the right amount of time to do this properly.

Does this change mean costs are going to go up?

  • No member will pay any more for their membership this year if you are renewing. Some joining fees will change, which usually happens at some point in the year anyway.
  • We won’t be increasing any renewal fees until January 2017.

I’m a Graduate member. What is changing for me?

  • It’s great news. In recognition for the years of study you have already put in, Graduate membership has moved into IEMA’s Professional Grade memberships.
  • That means you have moved out of the basic entry level zone to a new professionally recognised grade which reflects the level of knowledge you have at this point in your career.

Where is this grade on the membership journey?

  • Graduate membership is the first professional step on the journey. It is ahead of Student and Affiliate membership, sits next to Associate, and the new Practitioner membership will be your next stop after Graduate.
  • Your Graduate membership has been aligned with a new version of Associate membership to show that you have taken an academic route in to the profession as opposed to a vocational one.

Do I get letters after my name?

  • Yes. You will now be able to use the new suffix GradIEMA after your name along with the suffix from your degree (BSc/BA/MSc/MA/PhD etc). Perfect for summarising your learning and career development so far to employers.

How long will I stay at Graduate Grade?

  • We advise that staying at Graduate for no more than two years (by providing evidence of your ongoing CPD) is best. Remember, this is the start of your career journey so you will want to show some progression as your experience and knowledge develop.
  • After that period potential employers will be wanting to see you achieve Practitioner grade but the move will not be obligatory as long as you continue to submit a CPD record.

What membership grade will I move to after then?

  • The next stop on the membership journey for Graduates will be Practitioner. This will show you have experience as an environment and sustainability professional as well as appropriate knowledge.
  • To achieve Practitioner status you will simply need to submit a statement of competence (guidance will be available on our website) for assessment.

How much will my Graduate renewal cost me?

  • We are freezing all renewal fees for 2016. That means that for the rest of this year, your renewal will remain at £52.
  • As we are transferring your Graduate membership automatically, you won’t have to pay any more to achieve your new GradIEMA suffix and status.

How will people be able to join at Graduate grade?

  • Any Graduates who wish to achieve GradIEMA status (i.e. those who are currently Student members or non members) will have to show that they have completed an IEMA approved degree course.
  • For Graduates whose course was not yet IEMA approved, they can submit their Graduation certificate and complete a short online assessment. This online exam will check that they have achieved the right knowledge and that they meet the competency set by the IEMA Graduate professional standard.

I am/was an Associate Member

What is happening to my Associate Membership? I’ve heard something about a new Practitioner Grade

  • On June 13th 2016 all Associate members were automatically upgraded to the new Practitioner (PIEMA) grade.
  • All IEMA Associate members had already demonstrated the right knowledge for Practitioner when they passed their AIEMA exams, making the transfer quick and simple.
  • This is an automatic upgrade, you do not need to do anything - no assessment and no additional fee.

Do I have to move to Practitioner?

  • No. None of the changes we are making are obligatory. You have the choice to opt out of the automatic move to Practitioner, but please note that may means you will be moved to the new Associate grade which perhaps does not reflect the level of knowledge you have.
  • You will have until 13th July to make your choice should you wish to retain your AIMEA status. If you do wish to opt out and stay at Associate, please email [email protected] before 5pm on 13th July.
  • However, as Practitioner is the next stop along the membership journey from Associate, you will be encouraged to progress to that stage eventually and that will mean you’d have to take an online assessment. Benefitting from the automatic switch now essentially means a free and simple upgrade with no effort from you. This has happened only this once so it’s best to stay Practitioner now, instead of having to go through the process later on.

What is Practitioner?

  • It is the new benchmark for environment and sustainability professionals who are doing environment and sustainability work at an experienced practical level.

Who is Practitioner for?

  • Professionals who are working across organisations at an operational level, and pursuing a career path in environment and sustainability. It is the membership for the working experts who are driving change.
  • It makes a natural step from Graduate or Associate membership and is a recognised route towards Full IEMA membership.

Has Associate membership gone away?

  • No. Practitioner sits above a new version of Associate. The new Associate membership will be for those who are entering the profession who bring some learning or on-the-job experience but cannot yet demonstrate it to the level a much more experienced and knowledgeable Practitioner can.
  • It is aligned with the new Graduate membership, which is now professionally recognised for the first time.

What Suffix will I get when I move to Practitioner?

  • You now have the suffix PIEMA. This replaces and supersedes your AIEMA suffix.

Will moving up to Practitioner help me work towards Full Membership?

  • It is a recognised route towards Full IEMA membership. You will be able to take advantage of direct one-to-one mentoring to help you achieve MIEMA status and all other upgrade support programmes.

What do I tell my employer and clients? They know what Associate means.

  • Tell them that having an IEMA Practitioner working for them gives themthe confidence that you are equipped, connected, fully up-to-date and in touch with learning opportunities that will help them deliver the company’s sustainability programmes.

Why are you making changes to Full membership?

  • Our new membership structure marks a new era for IEMA and that means we need to really shout about what people with this level of experience in the profession know, do, think and say.
  • Now is the time to raise the profile of Full membership and ensure more experienced and knowledgeable professionals are supported to achieve MIEMA status.

I’m already a Full member. What is changing for me?

  • Procedurally - nothing. Reputationally - everything. Most of the changes being made to Full are around the way we talk about the membership – we are repositioning Full membership to become recognised as the gold standard for environment and sustainability professionals around the world.
  • You can expect your personal profile and power to influence to increase as we present new opportunities for you to show what you know.

What about the Full membership Standard? Is that changing like the other IEMA membership grades?

  • Yes, but not until late 2016.
  • The changes to the standard are really about broadening the scope and significance of this destination on the membership journey. That means incorporating sustainability principles into all our standards.

How will new applicants achieve Full membership if the standard is changing?

  • The application process will be exactly the same – just fill in the forms, pay the fees and do the right preparation for the interview.
  • What is new is a far more guiding, supportive and “human” approach to the assessments.
  • Feedback from people going through Full membership assessments revealed that even when members were successful, they didn’t always feel it was the most positive experience so we have worked very hard to change that so it will feel much more collaborative and supportive.

Do I need to do anything?

  • If you are already an IEMA Full member, you don’t need to do anything at all. Just remember to renew your membership and complete your CPD log each year. Do that will retain your MIEMA suffix and all that comes with it.
  • If you are thinking about applying for Full membership, continue as you had planned and you will be joining the group at a very exciting time.

I am a Fellow Member

Why are you making changes to Fellow?

  • Our new membership structure marks a new era for IEMA and that means we need to really shout about what people who are leading and shaping the profession know, do, think and say.
  • IEMA Fellows are leaders who are challenging the norms of organisations around the globe. With the eyes of the business world looking to our profession to drive change it is Fellows who have the knowledge, skill and experience to make that a reality. We recognised that we need to do much more to make the wider world see that.

What is changing for me?

  • Procedurally - nothing. Reputationally - everything. The change to Fellow comes to the way we talk about the membership – we are repositioning Fellow as the benchmark for a new generation of sustainability ambassadors.
  • You can expect your personal profile and power to influence to increase as we present new opportunities for you to show what you know.
  • This new alliance of IEMA Fellows will become known as sustainability advocates at the very top of their profession.

What about the Fellow Standard? Is that changing like the other IEMA membership grades?

  • Yes, but not until late 2016.
  • The changes to the standard are really about broadening the scope and significance of this destination on the membership journey. That means incorporating sustainability principles into all our standards, and that is especially crucial for Fellows – the leaders of the profession.

How will new applicants achieve Fellow membership if the standard is changing?

  • The application process will be exactly the same – just fill in the forms, pay the fees and do the right preparation for the interview.
  • What is changing is the option for existing Fellows to nominate people they feel really represent the values of Fellow membership - people who they would want to sit alongside them as a sustainability ambassador. The assessors will then to consider awarding Fellow membership to those who meet the criteria.

Do I need to do anything?

  • If you are already an IEMA Fellow, you don’t need to do anything at all. Just remember to renew your membership each year and you will retain your FIEMA suffix and all that comes with it.
  • If you are thinking about applying for Fellow membership, continue as you had planned and you will be joining the group at a very exciting time.