Short Courses
Enrol, learn, transform
Elevate Your Environmental Career
Ready to advance your expertise and make a greater impact in the environmental field? The IES provides or endorses a selection of high-quality courses designed to equip you with the cutting-edge knowledge and skills demanded by today's diverse environmental roles. These programmes are your direct path to professional growth and enhanced capabilities, ensuring you stand out in your field.
Courses from the IES
Training developed by the IES family
Understand the Environmental Policy Landscape
The IES presents a comprehensive online training course, Understanding Environmental Policy, where you can learn about the environmental policy landscape and gain insights into how policy works and how to engage.
Designed specifically for environmental professionals, this course breaks down the complex policy landscape and provides you with the tools to engage effectively with upcoming policy proposals. Learn to navigate environmental governance and legislation, analyse new developments as they happen, and ensure your professional voice is heard where it matters most.
- Expert-led: Taught by Joseph Lewis, IES Head of Policy, who has 10+ years of experience in public policy.
- Interactive: Includes 14 lessons with quizzes and practical exercises.
- Flexible: Self-paced on-demand learning for only £65.
33% discount for IES professionals and 10% for IES Affiliates and Student Members. Find your discount code on the My CPD page of the Members' Portal
Influencing and Engaging with Environmental Policy
Following the success of our introductory training, the IES has released an intermediate training course, Influencing and Engaging with Environmental Policy, which gives you the techniques and knowledge to become an impactful policy influencer.
Designed with environmental professionals in mind, this course teaches you how to engage with policy, setting out different techniques for engaging with (or influencing) environmental policy. The course is informed by expert policy practice, academic theories of change, and case studies of good practice.
- Expert-led: Taught by Joseph Lewis, IES Head of Policy, who has 10+ years of experience in public policy and was recognised on the ENDS Power List 2026.
- Interactive: Includes 20 lessons with quizzes, discussions, and practical exercises.
- Flexible: Self-paced on-demand learning for only £100
£67 for IES Members or £90 for IES Affiliates and Student Members. Find your discount code on the My CPD page of the Members' Portal.
Endorsed Courses
Active programmes currently endorsed by the IES
Discover Antarctica
The IES is proud to endorse the Discover Antarctica Short Course and the Antarctic Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Short Course, two comprehensive half-day programmes designed for organisations and individuals seeking up-to-date knowledge on the Antarctic environment.
Antarctic EIA Short Course is designed for those wishing to enhance their knowledge of the EIA process and methodology with best practice, case studies and up-to-date information, with a focus on cumulative impact assessment. This short course is designed for professionals and organisations involved in environmental impact assessments for Antarctic projects and activities, at all levels.
Course Content
- Cumulative Impact Assessment Best Practices: Understand the definition and types of cumulative impacts and best practice methodologies which can be applied to Antarctic projects and activities.
- Environmental Assessment Methodology and Guidelines: Gain insights into best practices for assessing the significance of environmental impacts, using case studies and proven methodologies to ensure thorough and transparent assessments.
- EIA Screening Process in Antarctica: Learn how to screen projects or activities to determine whether they require a Preliminary Environmental Evaluation (PEE) or Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE) in accordance with the Antarctic Protocol.
Discover Antarctica Short Course is designed for those wishing to gain an understanding or enhance their knowledge about environmental protection, wildlife and climate change in Antarctica with up-to-date and current information. It is open to all and does not require any prior qualifications or Antarctic experience.
Course Content
- Climate change and its impact on Antarctica
- Environmental protection in Antarctica and the Antarctic Treaty
- Wildlife in Antarctica and the threats it faces
Image credit © White Desert
More Than Just a River
Interested in learning more about the Thames Estuary? Challenge people's misconceptions, understand how the Thames has shaped London’s history, and how the Thames’s fate was shaped by the people living around it. This course shows that, by investing in the recovery of an urban river, it can become a healthy and thriving environment with diverse aquatic habitats and species.
Participants can expect to learn: fundamentals of marine and estuarine science, and natural history (core knowledge); fish ID, concept of ecosystem services, natural capital, natural flood management, climate response and governance structure (technical knowledge).
Course Providers
If you offer a course that will benefit professionals working in one or more environmental specialisms, and you want to reach a wide audience of potential delegates, find out more by downloading our Short course Endorsement Information pack. You can also contact our Education Team at education@the-ies.org, to discuss whether your course is suitable for IES endorsement.
The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) is a charitable organisation; a global professional membership body for environmental scientists.