subject: Health and safety vacancies - improve your chances of getting a job [print this page] Health and safety vacancies - improve your chances of getting a job
If you are looking for occupational health and safety jobs, what sort of qualifications and experience will companies being look in candidates? Health and safety vacancies can attract huge numbers of applicants, so if you're serious about getting a job in this area, how can you appeal to a prospective employer and stand out from the crowd?
To get into Health & Safety you're going to need the right qualifications. Some people study at night school so they can keep earning while they're learning, but if you a bit younger you might be able to go full time with your safety course.
Many people go into occupational health and safety jobs from a related background. They usually have some experience of conducting risk assessments and often come from a construction, manufacturing or engineering environment before moving over into safety.
If you're scanning safety publications and websites for health and safety vacancies and thinking that it's a field you want to get into, you're going to need to take some relevant qualifications. Depending on your previous academic and vocational experience, you might want to consider the following:
NVQ Level 3 in Occupational Health and Safety
National Examinations Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
British Safety Council (BSC) Level 3 Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health.
These will cover the basics and should help you to get an entry level job. Once you've entered the industry, you will have the opportunity to study further as you progress through your chosen career. To move forward in Health and Safety you're going to need an IOSH recognised qualification such as:
NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
BSC Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health
NVQ levels 4 and 5 in Occupational Health and Safety Practice
Full- or part-time university degrees and postgraduate courses in occupational health and safety.
Ultimately you will start to specialise in certain areas of safety which require advanced qualifications of their own. Whichever route you go down, it's a challenging and rewarding career.
