Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Nature conservation officer to environmental policy officer

A nature conservation officer already meets 33% of what the environmental policy officer role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From nature conservation officer
33 % overlap
Distant match
To environmental policy officer
12 You already bring
13 Still to learn
46 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

70.1/ 100

1 How much of what an environmental policy officer is expected to do is already part of a nature conservation officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the environmental policy officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An environmental policy officer role treats 9 of its required skills as things a nature conservation officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • analyse environmental data
  • assess environmental impact
  • ensure compliance with environmental legislation
  • environmental legislation
  • manage land resources permits
  • measure sustainability of tourism activities

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An environmental policy officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a nature conservation officer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held ecological principles natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
  • already held manage land resources permits information skills
  • already held provide training in sustainable tourism development and management communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held investigate pollution information skills
  • already held measure sustainability of tourism activities information skills
  • already held plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage management skills

All 12 carried skills, including the 9 the environmental policy officer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 34 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn advise on carbon emissions reduction required
  • still to learn advise on legislative acts required
  • still to learn liaise with government officials required
  • still to learn promote environmental awareness required
  • optional, not held advise on mining environmental issues optional
  • optional, not held advise legislators optional
  • optional, not held advise on pollution prevention optional
02 business, administration and law 2 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn ecosystem management required
  • still to learn environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry required
  • optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
  • optional, not held corporate sustainability optional
  • optional, not held pollution legislation optional
03 social sciences, journalism and information 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn government policy required
  • still to learn government policy implementation required
  • optional, not held environmental economics optional
  • optional, not held policy analysis optional
04 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required
  • still to learn environmental threats required
  • still to learn environmental policy required
05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn energy conservation required
  • optional, not held green building standards optional
  • optional, not held urban sustainability optional
  • optional, not held wind energy optional
  • optional, not held emission standards optional
  • optional, not held pollution prevention optional
  • optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
06 information skills 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn perform environmental investigations required
  • optional, not held measure pollution optional
  • optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
  • optional, not held monitor manufacturing impact optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an environmental policy officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 12 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse environmental data skill
  • already held assess environmental impact skill
  • already held ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
  • already held environmental legislation knowledge
  • already held manage land resources permits skill
  • already held measure sustainability of tourism activities skill
  • already held plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage skill
  • already held plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas skill
  • already held report on environmental issues skill
  • already held ecological principles knowledge
  • already held investigate pollution skill
  • already held provide training in sustainable tourism development and management skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn manage government policy implementation required
  • optional, not held develop environmental policy optional
08 assisting and caring 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held prevent sea pollution optional
  • optional, not held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality optional
09 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
  • optional, not held advise on mining environmental issues optional
  • optional, not held corporate sustainability optional
  • optional, not held environmental economics optional
  • optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
  • optional, not held green building standards optional
  • optional, not held measure pollution optional
  • optional, not held policy analysis optional
  • optional, not held pollution legislation optional
  • optional, not held prevent sea pollution optional
  • optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
  • optional, not held urban sustainability optional
  • optional, not held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality optional
  • optional, not held wind energy optional
  • optional, not held advise legislators optional
  • optional, not held advise on pollution prevention optional
  • optional, not held develop environmental policy optional
  • optional, not held emission standards optional
  • optional, not held monitor manufacturing impact optional
  • optional, not held pollution prevention optional
  • optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
50 held skills the environmental policy officer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise on nature conservation skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on soil and water protection skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on sustainable management policies skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse ecological data skill
  • not needed by the target role animal biology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role animal welfare legislation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role applied zoology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role aquatic ecology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role biology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role botany knowledge
  • not needed by the target role brief volunteers skill
  • not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role conduct educational activities skill
  • not needed by the target role conduct environmental surveys skill
  • not needed by the target role conduct research on fauna skill
  • not needed by the target role conduct research on flora skill
  • not needed by the target role conserve natural resources skill
  • not needed by the target role coordinate educational programmes skill
  • not needed by the target role de-limb trees skill
  • not needed by the target role ecology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role educate people about nature skill
  • not needed by the target role educate public on fire safety skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure the safety of endangered species and protected areas skill
  • not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
  • not needed by the target role fire prevention procedures knowledge
  • not needed by the target role fish biology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role forest ecology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role habitat restoration knowledge
  • not needed by the target role implement biodiversity action plans skill
  • not needed by the target role keep task records skill
  • not needed by the target role manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
  • not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
  • not needed by the target role manage staff skill
  • not needed by the target role manage visitor flows in natural protected areas skill
  • not needed by the target role manage volunteers skill
  • not needed by the target role molecular biology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role monitor nature conservation skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor wildlife skill
  • not needed by the target role natural areas maintenance knowledge
  • not needed by the target role promote sustainability skill

10 further entries not listed here

19 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn ecosystem management required
  • still to learn environmental threats required
  • still to learn energy conservation required
  • still to learn environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry required
  • still to learn environmental policy required
  • still to learn government policy required
  • still to learn government policy implementation required
  • optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
  • optional, not held corporate sustainability optional
  • optional, not held environmental economics optional
  • optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
  • optional, not held green building standards optional
  • optional, not held policy analysis optional
  • optional, not held pollution legislation optional
  • optional, not held urban sustainability optional
  • optional, not held wind energy optional
  • optional, not held emission standards optional
  • optional, not held pollution prevention optional
  • optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
Index

Other moves recorded from nature conservation officer

Full index of moves from nature conservation officer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a nature conservation officer become an environmental policy officer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A nature conservation officer already covers 33% of what an environmental policy officer is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 9 of which the environmental policy officer role treats as required.

What skills does a nature conservation officer need to become an environmental policy officer?

13 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is ecosystem management.

How hard is the move from nature conservation officer to environmental policy officer?

Its learning distance is 70.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.