The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has launched a membership grades structure as it aims to “future-proof” the profession.
IOSH hopes the changes will help its membership be the “gold standard” of the profession, and are the culmination of a process which has involved IOSH consulting with its members, other professional bodies, recruiters, and global organisations.
The new structure is designed to provide its members with a clear pathway from the beginning of their career to progress to the higher levels of chartered member and chartered fellow, and to make it clearer for businesses and recruiters to know what each level of membership means.
There is a direct link between the new grades structure and IOSH’s competency framework, which sets the requirements for occupational safety and health (OSH) knowledge and experience at all levels of the profession.
Further reading: Time to tackle “plague” of work accidents and ill health, says new IOSH President
Nicole Rinaldi, IOSH’s Director of Professional Services, said: “This new structure is being implemented in response to the changing world of work and to ensure IOSH is the gold standard for health and safety professionals around the world.
“The profession needs to respond to these changes and be able to adapt to future challenges. To be able to do so, professionals must be equipped and be fully competent to be in a position to lead the way as businesses navigate through these changes and challenges.
“Our message to OSH professionals is that if you want to get ahead in your career, then IOSH membership is the path to follow. We have consulted widely during this process, including with recruiters and employers, and we know that they place significant value on IOSH membership.”
There are changes to some membership grades, while others will experience little or no change.
IOSH has also removed the Associate Member grade and replaced it with ‘Affiliate Member’. Meanwhile, the Graduate Member level will transition to ‘Certified Member’.
Members currently graded as Associate will have the option to upgrade to Technical or Certified with relevant qualifications and experience, or to Certified or Chartered via the experiential route.
The amends to other grades are:
There is no change for the Technical Member grade, with members still expected to keep their CPD up-to-date by recording 30 hours a year in Blueprint.
Meanwhile, a new ‘experiential’ route through member grades is introduced, which means that members can progress to some levels based on their experience even if they don’t have formal qualifications.
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