Student placement scheme for local authorities

14th March 2008, 11:28am

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is inviting local authorities in England to apply for ‘match funding’ – a scheme to help address the difficulties in funding placements for environmental health students.

Students in the scheme spend around six months with central Government departments to gain relevant experience of various environmental health disciplines, and a further six months at the local authority.

So far, 16 students have benefited from the scheme and 14 local authorities have participated.

Local authorities need to show that they will be using the scheme to recruit students and should also provide details of the arrangements they will have in place.

The scheme is applicable to those environmental health practitioner (EHP) students completing either the CIEH Practical Training Logbook, or the new Experiential Learning Portfolio (ELP).

Local authorities are responsible for recruiting, employing and paying the students. Central Government will pay local authorities an amount equivalent to the salary and on-costs made in respect of this employment.

In addition to food, aspects of health and safety, pollution, contaminated land, noise nuisance and housing are all covered during the time students spend with central Government and its partners.

The Agency, along with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) and Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), have all agreed to continue the scheme for the academic year 2009/9.

Weblink:

www.food.gov.uk 

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