Profession environmental education officer

Environmental education officers are responsible for promoting environmental conservation and development. They visit schools and businesses to give talks, they produce educational resources and websites, they lead guided nature walks, they provide relevant training courses, and they help with volunteer activities and conservation projects. Many gardens employ an environmental education officer to offer guidance during school visits.

Personality Type

• Enterprising / Conventional
• Social / Enterprising

Knowledge

• Biology

  Tissues, cells, and functions of plant and animal organisms and their interdependencies and interactions with each other and the environment.

• Ecology

  The study of how organisms interact and their relation to the ambient environment.

Skills

• Develop educational activities

  Develop speeches, activities and workshops in order to foster access and comprehension to the artistic creation processes. It can address a particular cultural and artistic event such as a show or an exhibition, or it can be related to a specific discipline (theatre, dance, drawing, music, photography etc.). Liaise with storytelles, craftspeople and artists.

• Advise on nature conservation

  Provide information and suggested actions relating to the conservation of nature.

• Educate the public about wildlife

  Speak with groups of adults and children to teach them how to enjoy the forest without harming it or themselves. Speak in schools or with specific youth groups if called upon. Develop and teach programs related to nature conservation.

• Identify plants characteristics

  Identify and classify crop characteristics. Be able to recognise different types of bulbs by name, graded sizes, field markings and stock markings.

• Implement risk management for outdoors

  Devise and demonstrate the application of responsible and safe practices for the outdoor sector.

• Educate public on fire safety

  Develop and execute educational and promotional plans to educate the public on fire prevention knowledge and methods, fire safety such as the ability to identify hazards and the use of fire safety equipment, and to raise awareness on fire prevention issues.

• Manage volunteers

  Manage volunteers' tasks, recruitment, programmes and budgets.

• Manage outdoor resources

  Recognise and relate meteorology to topography; apply the principal of ‘Leave no trace'.

• Monitor interventions in the outdoors

  Monitor, demonstrate and explain the use of equipment according to the operational guidelines issued by manufacturers.

• Animate in the outdoors

  Independently animate groups in the outdoors, adapting your practice to keep the group animated and motivated.

• Educate people about nature

  Speak to a variety of audiences about e.g. information, concepts, theories and/or activities related to nature and its conservation. Produce written information. This information may be presented in a range of formats e.g. display signs, information sheets, posters, website text etc.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB