Courses Available Online, Virtually and Classroom
Fully Certified NEBOSH, IOSH, IEMA Accredited
7-Day Customer Service
Jim Anderson CMIOSH, MIIRSM, AIEMA

Why Should You Take a NEBOSH Qualification?

Find out how a NEBOSH qualification can benefit your career and what you need to consider before taking a NEBOSH course.

February 2018

Choosing to embark on a new course can be quite daunting, especially if, like most people, you haven’t studied a formal qualification since school or university. Naturally, you want to make sure that the time and money you commit is going to be worth your while.

In this post, we’ll talk you through the pros and cons of NEBOSH qualifications to help you make a well-rounded decision as to whether that next course is right for you.

Pros

Career Progression

NEBOSH courses are seen as the benchmark of a health and safety professional and so are closely linked with career progression and job security. In 2016 NEBOSH jobs barometer, which offers insight into the health and safety job market by reviewing job advertisements, showed that:

  • 90% of health, safety and environmental job advertisements specified one or more NEBOSH qualifications, up from 83% the previous year.
  • 50% of all advertised positions specified a degree equivalent to the NEBOSH Diploma.
  • Where applicants were required to hold a NEBOSH Diploma qualification, the average top-end salary advertised was £49,000, more than 16% higher than the average £42,000 top-end salary when a Diploma was not specified.

They’re also recognised by professional membership bodies such as the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) and the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), meaning you’ll be able to demonstrate your skills to potential employers by using letters such as TechIOSH, GradIOSH, CMIOSH, MIIRSM, AIEMA etc. after your name.

Check out our post 'where will your NEBOSH course take you?' for more information on health and safety professional memberships.

Increased Knowledge

NEBOSH qualifications provide an awareness and solid understanding of what is expected of you as a health and safety expert allowing you to meet the changing demands within health and safety, and allow you to mentor and develop those around you.

INSHPO’s framework highlights 6 key areas of knowledge any health and safety professional should have all of which are covered in a NEBOSH qualification:

  • Hazards and risks
  • Risk controls
  • Safety and health management
  • Professional role and functioning
  • Underlying technical, human and social sciences
  • Underlying management sciences

The practical element of NEBOSH courses means you’ll also be able to apply the underlying knowledge to your workplace, integrating and adapting the theory to well-known and new situations.

Better Skills

Working within health and safety will require you to influence workers across all levels of an organisation including senior management, middle management, supervisors, frontline workers and external agencies. Good personal and professional skills are vital attributes that allow you to build relationships with key decision makers and create a positive safety culture throughout your organisation.

The most effective health and safety professionals have the ability to influence and change behaviours by connecting with and educating their colleagues It’s important to be able to communicate with people in all job roles to encourage an open flow of feedback to help track and improve performance throughout your business.

Preparing reports and documentation is also a large part of any health and safety professional’s role, so good presentation and written communication skills are a must. You may also be required to provide training to staff at various levels, so you should also be able to prepare and deliver training materials appropriate to different audiences.

The NEBOSH course will build the foundations for you to develop these (as well as other) skills in a practical environment, enabling you to get stuck straight in once you pass!

Legal Compliance

Working within health and safety means you have 1 main underlying aim; protect workers and make sure they get home safely. This isn’t just a moral obligation, there are legal requirements for employees, managers and organisations too.

The legal framework for health and safety is a fundamental element of any NEBOSH qualification. You’ll learn the main legal requirements of health and safety in the UK, enabling you to make sure your company and staff are meeting their legal responsibilities.

Working Outside the UK

If you work outside the UK find out more about the NEBOSH International General Certificate.  

Things to Consider

Time

NEBOSH qualifications are no walk in the park. Many underestimate the amount of time they take to complete as each qualification requires a number a self-study hours in addition to the time you spend in the classroom or working through your online course. This can mean sacrificing time in the evening and weekends to study for your exams.

Naturally, the amount of time and effort you put into your studies will have a big impact on the mark you receive at the end. Setting targets and planning your time with a study timetable will help keep you on track throughout your course and make your time productive. 

Money

The cost of a NEBOSH qualification will vary greatly between the qualification, course provider and learning method, with classroom courses typically costing more than online courses.

Find out how to source the most cost effective NEBOSH course in our post 'how much does a NEBOSH course cost?'

Exams

Depending on the NEBOSH qualification you choose, you’ll be required to take either an open book online exam or a written exam as well as a practical assignment. For some, the notion of sitting an exam can be unsettling. 

It’s important, when choosing a course provider, to look at the support they offer through your studies as this will help you when it comes to your exams. Most will offer you guidance on revision, while others may offer webinars on specific exam techniques and difficult topics. 

Unsure which NEBOSH course is the right fit for you, take a look at our blog for the full rundown.

For tips on how to effectively study for a NEBOSH course, check out our post 'studying for a NEBOSH course'

To view our full range of NEBOSH courses, click the button below

Related Blogs

  • What Is the Paris Agreement? And Why Is It Important? Image
    Enock Ebbah

    What Is the Paris Agreement? And Why Is It Important?

    For years to come, the Paris Agreement will be considered one of the most critical milestones in preventing global warming. Learn about the main points of the treaty and how it will shape the future of our planet.
    14.03.24
  • Top 10 Interesting Careers the NEBOSH Diploma Gets You Image
    William Gaunt

    Top 10 Interesting Careers the NEBOSH Diploma Gets You

    Wondering where the NEBOSH Diploma can take you in your career? We’ve compiled a list of exciting careers you can pursue, thanks to its broad spectrum of applications. Read on to find out where your career could land next!
    12.03.24
  • How to Identify and Manage Hazards: Free Risk Assessment Template Included Image
    William Gaunt

    How to Identify and Manage Hazards: Free Risk Assessment Template Included

    Learn how to identify and manage hazards in the workplace and gain exclusive access to your free copy of our risk assessment template.
    29.02.24
  • Why is There a Massive Financing Gap to Prevent Climate Change? Image
    Enock Ebbah

    Why is There a Massive Financing Gap to Prevent Climate Change?

    The United Nations has warned that funding to protect against the severe consequences of climate change is ‘woefully inadequate’. Find out the implications of short-changing climate change mitigation and what this means for the future of our planet.
    29.02.24
  • Mental Health UK Reports Extreme Workplace Stress: What You Need to Know Image
    William Gaunt

    Mental Health UK Reports Extreme Workplace Stress: What You Need to Know

    Find out the key findings from the Mental Health UK Burnout Report - a landmark study that has worrying implications. We investigate how this impacts the workplace and what employers can do to mitigate increasing stress for staff members. Find out more here.
    28.02.24
  • NEBOSH National Diploma vs NEBOSH International Diploma: Which Course is Right for You? Image
    Toby Howell AIEMA BA PGDip

    NEBOSH National Diploma vs NEBOSH International Diploma: Which Course is Right for You?

    Unsure of which version of the NEBOSH Diploma is right for you? This blog will tell you everything you need to about the differences between the NEBOSH National Diploma and the NEBOSH International Diploma. Make the right decision with Astutis' support!
    23.02.24
Section Curve
Case Studies

Real Life Stories

Find out how learners look back on their training with Astutis. Our case studies give our learners, both individual and corporate, a platform to share their Astutis experience. Discover how training with Astutis has helped past learners and delegates make the world a safer place, one course at a time.
More Image
Bottom Curve
What People Say

Hear What Our Learners Have To Say

We're always there for our customers. 98% of our learners rated their overall experience as good or outstanding. We will always pride ourselves on our customer service. But don’t take our word for it, here is what our customers have to say
  • "The course was very informative. Whilst it was quite a full on 4 days it was good to have the breakout sessions to share learnings. The course materials were great to refer to as revision"

    13.03.2024
  • "The course was paid for by my employer"

    13.03.2024
  • "Great tutor and valuable study webinars prior to exams. The content notebooks need some work to update and check the content."

    Sarah
    11.03.2024
  • "Content needs work but tutor was brilliant and study webinars very valuable"

    Sarah
    11.03.2024
  • "Generally the course covers basic health and safety across many industries at a level which is both useful but not TOO in depth. I work in bio-sciences but understood the sections referring to construction well and found much of the course to be quite transferable. Speed of learning is good. Certain parts of the course (asbestos springs to mind) made questionable claims however the course allows this sort of thing to be flagged as feedback."

    Peter
    05.03.2024
  • "Good. You have a year to complete and this is about the right pace."

    Peter
    05.03.2024
  • "Brilliant tutors"

    Aaron
    05.03.2024
  • "Very good, very informative and delivered very well"

    Aaron
    05.03.2024
  • "You meet all my expetations."

    Damir
    26.02.2024
  • "You met all my expetations."

    Damir
    26.02.2024