In this post, let’s look at some top tips for doing well in the NEBOSH National Diploma in Environmental Management, or International Diploma in Environmental Management project (NDEM2/IDEM2).
Generally, in this assignment, NEBOSH require that you review an organisation’s environmental management system (EMS).
The assignment is required to be approximately 8000 words (although you can go over this level, but perhaps not more than 12,000 words) and must be submitted to NEBOSH electronically. The pass mark for the assignment is 50%.
How to Use the NEBOSH Environmental Diploma Project Guide
What you need to do is stated in some detail in the guide that has been produced for the assignment by NEBOSH. You can download it from the resources section of the NEBOSH website: NDEM2 resources or IDEM2 resources. Technically, it is known as ‘Unit NDEM2 or IDEM2: Environmental regulation Assignment Guidance and information for candidates’, but we will refer to it as ‘the guide’.
There are three very top tips:
- Read the guide
- Read the guide again
- Read the guide again many times!
Although what NEBOSH requires seems straightforward to interpret, in practice, there is a very specific format regarding the requirements of the assessment. I will be referring to ‘the guide’ a lot in this post.
Choosing a Suitable Site for Your NEBOSH Diploma Project
You need a site on which to base your project. In an ideal world, this would be your own workplace, or another suitable workplace, or a part of a larger workplace, if the site is large. An ideal workplace would be a ‘goldilocks’ one in that it should not be too big, such that it is too complicated, or not too small, such that it will not allow you to collect enough information to complete the report. Refer to the guide to get an idea of what you need to do, and then you can choose your location.
Collecting Information and Evidence for the NEBOSH Diploma Project
After spending a lot of time getting to grips with the guide, sorry, there I go again, it is a good idea to develop a checklist based on what needs to be completed. Thoroughly work through the guide and write down the key information requirements. For example, for the ‘Review and critical analysis of the organisation’s EMS’, NEBOSH provides eight categories of questions that must be answered. For the ‘Environmental objectives and targets’ category, the questions are:
- Does the organisation have arrangements in place to establish, review, update and communicate its environmental objectives and targets?
- Is the organisation likely to achieve the objectives and targets set?
- Are there plans to achieve or to improve performance against the environmental objectives/targets?
The above and the other question should be key parts of your checklist, in addition to the other requirements stated in the guide.
Now that you have completed the checklist, you need to develop a plan for how you are going to collect the information. Consider in your plan who you will need to speak to within your organisation (for interviews), what documents you need to review, and what observations you need to make (for example, which parts of the project area you will need to visit). Once completed, you will then need to implement the plan by collecting the information stated on your checklist.
How to Structure and Write the NEBOSH Environmental Diploma Report
Now that you have collected the data, you need to develop the report. Again, NEBOSH are very strict on what they expect. The guide states that the report must consist of the following sections (marks for each section are provided in brackets):
- An executive summary (5).
- An introduction (including background on environmental regulation) (10).
- Review and critical analysis of the organisation’s EMS (40).
- Evaluation of the top three environmental concerns and identification of improvements to be made for each (30).
- Conclusions and recommendations which summarise the main issues identified and lead to justified recommendations (10).
- Bibliography and referencing (0).
- Appendices (0).
An additional five marks are available for focus and presentation. The marks available tell us a lot about the importance and amount of information required for each section.
Writing the Introduction Section of Your NEBOSH Diploma Report
You should always begin with the introduction. This should clearly state the aims, objectives and methodology of data collection in addition to a description of the organisation and any sensitive receptors nearby, such as a conservation area or river. Do not begin with the executive summary (this should be written when all other parts of the report have been completed).
Including Environmental Regulation Background in the Report
NEBOSH also requires that you provide a section on the background to the regulation. There is very specific guidance on this in the practical guide, so I won’t refer to it here. Don’t write too much for this, as it is only worth five marks, but do make sure it meets the requirements of the guide.
Reviewing and Critically Analysing the EMS (Environmental Management System)
The next section should be a review and critical analysis of the EMS. This is completed by answering all the questions in the eight categories in section 8.0 of the guide. Make sure that you write in sentences and paragraphs. Each question category is usually worth four marks (apart from identification of aspects/impacts and compliance obligations, for which there is a maximum of 8 marks available), which gives you some idea of the amount of text required. This section is particularly important, as it accounts for 40 marks out of a hundred (40% of the total marks available).
Developing and Justifying Improvements in the NEBOSH Project
The next part of the report involves carefully selecting three weaknesses from the previous section (answers to Section 8.0 questions) and developing an improvement plan. For each improvement, NEBOSH are very clear in that they want you to write about, so you MUST cover:
- Who will be responsible for implementing the improvements?
- What resources are required?
- Is any training required?
- What are the timescales for improvements?
- How will the effectiveness of the improvements be measured, monitored and reported?
- How will lessons be learnt?
There is also a requirement to undertake a cost-benefit analysis for each improvement. This does not necessarily have to be quantified. You must ensure, however, that you specify both the advantages (benefits) and disadvantages (costs) that implementing your improvement will bring to the organisation. You are essentially justifying your three specified improvements.
Writing Conclusions and Recommendations for Your NEBOSH Diploma Project
The next task is to complete the conclusion and recommendations. Conclusions are drawn from the key issues identified, along with moral, legal, and economic reasons, as to why these issues should be rectified. You must use information from the previous two sections (never introduce new information in conclusions). You then need to outline some recommendations that are based on improving the three key issues identified earlier. Make a convincing argument for implementing the recommendations by identifying relevant tasks, costings, responsibilities and timescales.
Creating the Executive Summary for the NEBOSH Environmental Diploma
Now, review your report and write the executive summary. This is a summary that should outline all the content of the report that you have written, not just the recommendations.
Continue to review and refine your draft report until you are reasonably satisfied with the content. It is also advisable to perform a gap analysis of your project against the marking criteria in section 10.0 of the guide.
Then insert the appendices at the end and have someone review it (even if they are a non-specialist).
Final Tips for Success in the NEBOSH Environmental Diploma Project
In my experience, the key to producing a good report is planning. If you read and understand the NEBOSH guide, collect the correct information, and produce a report based on the NEBOSH guide, then you should be able to gain a good mark.
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John Binns BSc (Hons), MSc, MSc, MISEP (formerly IEMA)
John Binns BSc (Hons), MSc, MISEP (formerly IEMA)
With over 19 years’ experience working in environment management, John Binns BSc (Hons) MSc MISEP (formerly IEMA) is an experienced environmental tutor and consultant with knowledge of health and safety management.