The No. 1 question for job seekers is, “What certification do I need to get if I want to work permanently?” And when I want to respond with “it depends,” I know everyone hates it, but really, really.
The Green Green Business Report 2020 includes the following breakdown chart: “Survey Percentage of Respondents Received Training or Certification.
- 53 percent GRI
- 26 percent more
- 23% LEED AP
- 22 percent LEED GA
- 18 percent university-based certification program
- 17 percent SASB
- 8 percent ISSP
So, if you choose a certificate from a hat, it would be a very good bet to get a GRI or perhaps a leadership style in the Energy and Environmental Design series. But have you ever noticed that the number 2 most popular certificate is “another” or that GRI is the only designated certificate to get over 25 percent? That should tell you that there are no easy answers here and that there is no one-size-fits-all certification for sustainability professionals.
A better approach is to make some critical thinking about any gaps between your current skills and the skills you want to work on in the future. Take a closer look at the job descriptions that motivate you. What subject knowledge or certifications do the job descriptions require? Talk to people who are already working on the type of work you want. What kind of training do they have? What frameworks and tools do you use? That will help you determine what certifications can make you a more competitive candidate.
Also, remember that credentials are not the only guarantee of success. Your experience should be part of your larger plan to gain experience that may include other activities, such as your current job, fellowship, schooling, and skill-based volunteering.
Okay, so now that you have done your research and you know what skills you want to build, and you have decided that it is the right way to build them for certification training, what are the options?
The list below includes nearly 30 certifications that will help you understand the landscape of professional certifications in a sustainable manner. The focus of this list is solely on professional certifications or, in other words, certificates showing that you have a specific skill or set of knowledge as a person.
The list does not include certificates for products (such as the Forest Stewardshiphip Council for wood products) or companies (such as value-added companies such as B corporations), no professional training certification (I have some good ideas for that. Text and in the training section of this page) Or university-based certificates.
I’m 100% sure I missed an incredible verification program. If so, please let me know through my website. thanks in advance!.
General Sustainability and Climate Professional Assurance
ISSP and ACCO certifications are well-respected programs that provide an opportunity to demonstrate that you are a sustainable professional in a wide range of activities, industries and regions. Both organizations offer programs for young professionals or programs that are new to sustainability.
International Sustainability Professionals Association (ISS)
Climate Change Officials Association (ACCO)
Certificates of Sustainability
Corporate Sustainability Report The world is not for the weak. Report Frameworks and Standards Each of the companies that make the most popular alphabet offers their own approach to reporting sustainable value creation and climate-related risks, which makes reporting-related certification incredibly difficult.
To make things more complex, the landscape is changing rapidly. In September, five major reporting groups (CDP, CDSB, GRI, IIRC, and SBS) announced the goal of creating a comprehensive global reporting system, and only two months later, IIRC and SASB. It has merged to become a Value Reporting Foundation.
In the case of this Greenstone article, we do not have a single framework that everyone will use (at least) in the near future. Also, the last thing you need to know is that the reporting framework will be used by your future employer, and you will not know which one will be there until you work there.
My advice to those who want to follow the report verification is to do your own research on each leader framework and level to see if anyone agrees with you. Ask professionals in the industry what kind of framework they work with. If you later realize that you need to know a specific framework for a particular role, you can learn in time on the job or through a training program.
TCFD does not offer a standard certification program on climate-related financial profiles, but TCFD e-learning courses are available at the TCFD Knowledge Center.
Green building credentials
There are so many green building certification levels around the world, I can’t list them all here, so here are just four top steps. Each building certification has its own clear meaning that makes the building sustainable and approachable. In one of these, professional certification means an understanding of sustainability and green building principles, as well as an understanding of the certification framework for a particular program.
Green Building Certificates’ work focuses on building design, construction or redevelopment as designers and architects. That said, the built environment is a big part of the environmental impact for many organizations, so those looking to work in a sustainable strategy or program management can also find this training useful.
USGBC Council on Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
LEED is one of the most popular green building certification systems in the United States. LEED-certified buildings are designed and built using strategies designed to improve energy efficiency, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor air quality, and resource storage.
- LEED Green Associate is for new sustainability and LEED
- LEED AP is for individuals who specialize in green building and LEED projects and who want to excel in a unique LEED rating system.
Green Building Initiative Green Globes
Green Globes is a science-based building rating system that supports a wide range of new construction and existing construction projects. Green Globes buildings are energy efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly.
International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Building Construction Test
The challenge for a living building is said to be the tightest green building in the world and a sustainable design standard. Living buildings strive for zero-zero or pure-positive energy and are free of toxic chemicals.
International Well Building Institute Well Construction Stage
The WELL Construction Stage is a roadmap to create and validate areas that promote human health and safety in 10 key concepts. WELL works on any scale, from the interior to the entire organization.
Power-related verifications for the built environment
New construction is a great way to reduce the impact of a building, but there are also great opportunities to improve the energy efficiency and management of existing buildings and connect them to renewable energy sources.
These certificates are very valuable for people whose work focuses on buildings and / or renewable energy purchases. Like green building certificates, this training can also be useful for those who hope to work on a sustainable strategy or program management.
Energy Engineers Association (AEE)
AEEE offers dozens of certificates in the areas of trade, industry, institutional, government, energy services and consumer sectors in energy management, sustainable development, and utility services.
Special certificates
If you have been working on it for a while, you know in advance that there is almost no limit to the number of topics that can fall under the term “sustainability.”
As a result, there are endless opportunities for sustainability training and certification for a variety of industries, issues and disciplines. Here are a number of other well-known professional certifications that do not fall well into one of the above categories
So, what is your favorite certificate?
What certificates do you have or plan to pursue? Did this article help you get a new certificate to consider? What is missing? Join the conversation on LinkedIn or send me a note.