Environmental Health Practitioner Apprentice

Job Description

We are looking for a positive and motivated individual, with a ‘can-do’ attitude and excellent communication skills to join our busy Environmental Protection Team.

Duties include:

• Assisting officers with investigations, inspections, regulatory enforcement visits, audits, and service requests, undertaking tasks as directed.

What you'll do at work

Through experiential learning and training the successful candidate will learn about, and become competent in investigating and regulating, a range of environmental protection functions in a local authority setting, including:

• Statutory nuisance and anti-social behaviour complaints, e.g., noise, bonfires, artificial lighting, odours, etc.
• Air quality and smoke control
• Animal activities licensing, animal control & stray dog services
• Waste accumulations
• Pest control
• Drainage
• Filthy and verminous properties
• Unauthorised encampments
• Environmental Permitting
• Environmental considerations linked to planning and licensing applications

The candidate will enjoy a varied and interesting, but sometimes also challenging, workload. Working both in and out of the office, the candidate will initially focus on supporting the work of the team but progress towards managing their own caseload as their knowledge, skills, and experiences progress too.

Working alongside our Food and Safety Team, the successful candidate will also have access to other core environmental health areas, such as food safety, private water supplies, infectious disease control, skin piercing and health and safety, as well as those carried out by the council’s Private Sector Housing Team.

Daily duties:

• Assist officers with investigations, inspections, regulatory enforcement visits, audits, and service requests, undertaking tasks as directed
• To create and maintain written and/or computer records that are accurate, timely and in line with procedures
• To make records whilst on site and provide feedback to officers on key observations
• Communicate effectively on the phone/face to face/in writing with all customers, colleagues, and stakeholders (i.e., the public, local businesses/traders, council officers, etc.) on relevant areas of work
• Assist in the preparation of case files, reports, correspondence, animal activities licences and preparation of data analysis
• As experience is gained, to lead on the above, to carry and manage own caseload of reactive and pre-programmed work.
• Attend and participate in tutorials, meetings and other training as required for the apprenticeships, personal development or service need. Record information and feedback as directed
• Successful complete each academic section of the course as specified by the course tutors
• Assist with any other duties commensurate with the post as directed
• To follow corporate policies, procedures and legal responsibilities
• To be aware of and exercise personal and corporate responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act and other related matters

Where you'll work

Civic Centre

Windmill Street

Gravesend

Kent

DA12 1AU

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

WESTON COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION

Training course

Environmental health practitioner (integrated degree) (level 6)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Provide specialist, professional and technical environmental health advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders such as residents, businesses, property owners, government agencies and partners
• Plan, undertake and lead inspections, audits and other forms of investigations across the breadth of environmental health matters
• Evaluate applications and grant relevant licences and permits eg. environmental permits, HMOs, caravan sites, skin piercing, tattooists etc
• Negotiate with and influence a range of stakeholders in relation to a range of environmental health matters
• Identify, evaluate and communicate environmental health risks and risk management solutions to a range of stakeholders
• Ensure all activities are undertaken in accordance with relevant legislation, guidance and codes of practice
• Infer and apply a range of legislation related to environmental health, eg. the Environment Act, Environmental Protection Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Food Safety Act, Housing Act, Public Health Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, data protection legislation, anti-social behaviour legislation etc
• Employ a range of research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve environmental health issues through creative and critical thinking, devising practical solutions and applying problem solving strategies
• Critically evaluate and analyse evidence and information
• Formulate judgements and decisions based on the evidence available and applied knowledge eg. on acceptable levels of pollution emissions, water data, acceptable levels of noise etc
• Manage objective measurement and analysis of scientific information to determine the appropriate course of action eg. noise measurement, air emissions etc
• Appraise, implement and communicate relevant interventions eg. enforcement actions
• Produce accurate records and reports and where appropriate, recommend interventions, including the collection and handling of evidence with a view towards legal proceedings
• Assess and deal effectively with difficult and confrontational situations
• Participate in health promotional activities in high priority environmental health areas eg. shisha, smoking, obesity, food safety etc
• Implement effective decision making, exercising discretion, initiative and independence within the scope of own role
• Communicate and influence effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders including spoken and written communication skills, presentation skills, giving advice and guidance / mediating / negotiating and persuading, handling private and sensitive information (eg. data protection)
• Use a range of standard IT packages to undertake for example, word processing activities, produce reports and input / analyse data
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary and/or multi-organisational team and collaborate to achieve successful outcomes
• Lead activities relating to environmental health matters
• Carry out sampling and collect evidence for monitoring, investigations and/or enforcement purposes in accordance with legislation and current guidance
• Examine and assess compliance with conditions
• Plan, organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines
• Provide specialist, professional and technical environmental health advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders such as residents, businesses, property owners, government agencies and partners
• Plan, undertake and lead inspections, audits and other forms of investigations across the breadth of environmental health matters
• Evaluate applications and grant relevant licences and permits eg. environmental permits, HMOs, caravan sites, skin piercing, tattooists etc
• Negotiate with and influence a range of stakeholders in relation to a range of environmental health matters
• Identify, evaluate and communicate environmental health risks and risk management solutions to a range of stakeholders
• Ensure all activities are undertaken in accordance with relevant legislation, guidance and codes of practice
• Infer and apply a range of legislation related to environmental health, eg. the Environment Act, Environmental Protection Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Food Safety Act, Housing Act, Public Health Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, data protection legislation, anti-social behaviour legislation etc
• Employ a range of research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve environmental health issues through creative and critical thinking, devising practical solutions and applying problem solving strategies
• Critically evaluate and analyse evidence and information
• Formulate judgements and decisions based on the evidence available and applied knowledge eg. on acceptable levels of pollution emissions, water data, acceptable levels of noise etc
• Manage objective measurement and analysis of scientific information to determine the appropriate course of action eg. noise measurement, air emissions etc
• Appraise, implement and communicate relevant interventions eg. enforcement actions
• Produce accurate records and reports and where appropriate, recommend interventions, including the collection and handling of evidence with a view towards legal proceedings
• Assess and deal effectively with difficult and confrontational situations
• Participate in health promotional activities in high priority environmental health areas eg. shisha, smoking, obesity, food safety etc
• Implement effective decision making, exercising discretion, initiative and independence within the scope of own role
• Communicate and influence effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders including spoken and written communication skills, presentation skills, giving advice and guidance / mediating / negotiating and persuading, handling private and sensitive information (eg. data protection)
• Use a range of standard IT packages to undertake for example, word processing activities, produce reports and input / analyse data
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary and/or multi-organisational team and collaborate to achieve successful outcomes
• Lead activities relating to environmental health matters
• Carry out sampling and collect evidence for monitoring, investigations and/or enforcement purposes in accordance with legislation and current guidance
• Examine and assess compliance with conditions
• Plan, organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines