International Association for Impact Assessment

IAIA Professional Development Program

IAIA Professional Development Program


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To complement its conference-based training courses, IAIA’s Professional Development Program (PDP) provides online training in project-based impact assessment and related studies.  The training is designed to support individuals involved in carrying out studies, reviewing those studies, or otherwise participating in assessing the impacts of projects while the projects are being considered for approval. PDP courses are trainer-supported, meaning that each course participant works one-on-one with an experienced trainer using online communication tools.

Course Requirements:

  1. The educational background for an "IA Professional" or "IA Administrator" as described in the IAIA Guideline Standards for IA Professionals, typically at least a bachelor’s degree in an EIA-related field such as environmental studies, geography, ecology, biology, sociology, public health, social anthropology, planning, engineering, or landscape architecture; and
  2. At least one year of relevant experience undertaking and reporting on EIA studies, and/or in the administration of an EIA process; and 
  3. Reading, writing and speaking proficiency of the English language; and 
  4. Access to a desktop or laptop computer, an email address, and access to web-based video conferencing (e.g., Skype) and YouTube.

You do not have to be a member of IAIA or one of its Affiliates to take a PDP course. IAIA issues a Certificate of Course Completion for each completed course. If you require confirmation of previous course completion, or have any additional questions regarding the PDP, contact loreley@iaia.org. 


Current Course

FOUNDATIONS OF IMPACT ASSESSMENT (5 Jun to 27 Aug 2023)

Registration Deadline: 22 May 2023 - registration is now closed
Course Dates: 5 June - 27 August 2023
Course Tuition: US$595 for IAIA Members / US$695 for Non-IAIA Members
Payment & Refund Policies: Registration is not confirmed until payment has been received and a receipt has been issued. Pre-registration and pre-payment by individual course deadline is required. IAIA will refund registration fees upon written request received before the specific course deadline; a US$125 processing fee will be retained. After the course deadline date, no refunds will be issued for cancelations or no-shows. Substitutions for paid registrants may be made in writing without financial penalty. 

Course Description: IAIA is offering its 12-week "Foundations of Impact Assessment" online course to be held from 5 June to 27 August 2023.  The course access will expire on 27 August 2023. Participants start and complete the course within this period according to the schedule they arrange with their trainer. The course should take about 20-30 hours to complete. 

The "Foundations of IA" course is the first in a planned series of online courses as part of IAIA's Professional Development Program (PDP). It is designed for early-career professionals with some EIA experience and covers the basic principles and objectives of EIA, its core concepts and methods, and the fundamentals of EIA review processes and study management. The course adopts a comprehensive definition of "environment" to include the physical, biological, resource use, social, cultural, health, and economic dimensions of the project environment. Each course participant also receives personal support from an experienced IAIA trainer through several online video conferences.

Registration Instructions: Applications for the course are invited through 22 May 2023 or until filled. Registration is now closed.

Bursary Instructions: A limited number of bursaries are available to applicants meeting specific financial need requirements, which provide a US$400 discount to the PDP Foundations Course fee. No bursaries remain for this course.


Past Course

FOUNDATIONS OF IMPACT ASSESSMENT (23 Jan to 16 Apr 2023)

Registration Deadline: 9 January 2023 - registration is now closed
Course Dates: 23 January - 16 April 2023

Interested in future offerings of this course (and others)? Click here to be placed on the training announcement email list.


Acknowledgements

The following contributions have been made to the development of the PDP Foundations of Impact Assessment Course. Special thanks to our

Financial Sponsors: Government of Norway; Government of Northwest Territories, Canada; IAIA
Content Contributors: John Boyle, Bryony Walmsley, Richard Morgan, Glenn Brown, Cheryl Wasserman, Charlotte Bingham, Bill Ross, Celesa Horvath
Course Designer: Frank Fucile

Testimonials

  • “The strength of the course is that it is provided by IAIA with accuracy and credibility of the contents.  As well, the additional reading materials, the IAIA guidelines for further study, the videos to share experience, and the examples in the lessons were great to improve my understanding.  I especially appreciated the professional trainer who reviewed and commented on my assignments.”

    Tanapon, Thailand

     

    “The content of the course was very good in that it covered the entirety of the EIA process from beginning to end.  In doing so, it gave students like myself a good overview of EIA and a more holistic understanding of how the different components fit together and relate to one another.”

    Grace, United Kingdom

     

    “I felt the course was very straightforward and gave a comprehensive overview of the EIA process. I think the main strength is that the course covers really every step of the EIA process.  In addition, for me especially, the video sequences were beneficial to gain a "practical insight" to the theory.”

    Miriam, Germany

     

    “The contents of the course are well structured, organized and clearly stated.  There is no difficulty in pursuing the course content.   It includes varieties of elements related to EIA process.  It also touches on related assessments such as SEA.”

    Ngwe, Myanmar

     

     “The strength of the course is the way in which the reading material is so simplified, written in simple English, clear and straightforward.  This made it easy to understand and follow the course especially for me as it was the first time to take such a course.”

    Dorcas, Zambia

     

    “The course provides a well-organized overview of EIA.  It clearly provides the steps of the evaluation process phase by phase.  Its strength lies in that it describes in detail the overall EIA process.”

    Berta, Spain

     

    “The course was wonderful, especially the way IAIA pulled together the wealth and complexity of environmental, social and management issues around EIA into a beginner’s course with appropriate level of detail without losing the depth.  The excellent course structure was clearly signposted and effectively guided me through the quizzes and assignments.  The participant/trainer conferences were in just the right places.”

    Aleksandra, United Kingdom

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