NOTE: The BETI+ 2007 programme is now fully recruited and underway. 
However, if you are interested in participating in future programmes, please contact the HREC coordinator, Madeleine Hall on mhall@linden-consulting.co.uk.

Business Environmental Training Initiative Plus

BETI+ is an eighteen-month pilot project providing free extensive environmental business training and on site support to help businesses implement an ISO 14001 environmental management system. The project is open to companies in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire and is funded by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

BETI+ is an eighteen-month pilot project providing free extensive environmental business training and on site support to help businesses implement an ISO 14001 environmental management system. The project is open to companies in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire and is funded by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Green Business Network (GBN) will manage BETI+ in Bedfordshire, Linden Consulting in Hertfordshire and Essex, and the Business Environmental Management Scheme (BEMS) in Cambridgeshire.

Many of you are experiencing mounting supply chain pressure to tangibly demonstrate that you have an environmental management system in place, and the BETI+ programme will support you in doing just that.

BETI+ is open to businesses within the four counties. There are two options – the full BETI+ programme, or just the CIWM Waste Awareness Certificate. The full programme consists of all of the following:

• A one-day Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) Waste Awareness Certificate course, which leads to a nationally recognised qualification

  This course provides sound, practical advice on how you can meet your legal, systems and sustainable business obligations with regard to how you deal with waste. Much of the course is taught using examples, questions and answers, and workshops where you can look at waste issues you want to deal with.

  For more information about the course, visit http://www.ciwm.co.uk/pm/389

• A five day Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Level 3 Environmental Management course, which also leads to a nationally recognised qualification

  The course covers environmental impacts and aspects, policy, management programme and techniques, auditing, reporting, legislation and standards. It is invaluable for any manager looking to manage the implementation of an environmental management system – formal or informal. Holders of this qualification are recognised as “legally competent” in the eyes of both BS 8555 and ISO 14001.

  For more information visit http://www.cieh-coursefinder.com/quals_details_m.aspx

• Three one-day workshops dealing wtih BS 8555 - phased implementation of ISO 14001

  BS 8555 or the Acorn Scheme has been specially developed to enable businesses to implement the various stages of ISO 14001 in manageable chunks. These workshops will focus on the first three phases of BS 8555 –

  Phase one Commitment and establishing the baseline;

  Phase two - Identifying & Ensuring Compliance with Legal, and other Requirements; and Phase three – Developing objectives, targets and programmes.

  You can be assessed by an external registration body to each of these phases, or use them as a means of developing a full ISO 14001 environmental management system.

  For more information visit http://www.iema.net/acorn

• Three days' on-site help and advice

  We will provide on-site specialist help in how to deal with implementing your environmental management system and how to develop a Business Improvement Plan.

• Help to gain certification to either BS 8555 or ISO 14001

  At the end of this process, businesses should be in a position to apply for certification to the first three phases of BS 8555, or, depending on the progress made, to apply for certification to ISO 14001.

All three of the organisations running the programme are also running resource efficiency projects within the three counties so any company joining the BETI+ programme may also be able to benefit from the financial savings that result from this complementary initiative.

While the training is offered free of charge, companies signing up for BETI+ will be asked to commit staff time towards meeting the objectives of the programme, and will be expected to fill out beneficiary forms and be interviewed by a member of the project team.

Places are limited, so businesses are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for either the full BETI+ training programme, or the CIWM Waste Awareness Certificate training. 

If you’re in Hertfordshire or Essex, email: mhall@linden-consulting.co.uk 

If you’re in Cambridgeshire or South Lincolnshire, visit www.bems.co.uk or email either: clare.turner@pect.net or mathonwy.suter@pect.net

If you’re in Bedfordshire, call Claire Atkins on 07792 480986, or email: info@gbn-bedfordshire.org.uk or visit www.gbn-bedfordshire.org.uk