Bat Earned Recognition Pilot Project: Call to Register Interest Now Open!

On 5th July 2021

The Bat Earned Recognition (ER) Pilot is a partnership project between Natural England (NE), the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) and the Chartered Institute for Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM). The project will implement a scheme of professional accreditation for applicants for bat mitigation licences. The aims of the scheme are to (1) streamline licensing, (2) raise and maintain professional standards in bat mitigation work and (3) improve outcomes for bats.

The ER Pilot is currently in the process of onboarding professional Assessors. The Assessors will play a critical role in ensuring the success of the ER Pilot by undertaking the assessment of the competence of candidates for accreditation.

Registration of Interest

The partners are now thrilled to be able to invite ecologists to register their interest in accreditation under the ER Pilot. Ecologists are now able to register interest via the ‘Registration Form’ on the CIEEM ER Project page.

We will be inviting up to 100 ecologists to participate in the assessment and accreditation process. In order to robustly test the pilot, the partners endeavour to invite a wide range of candidates (e.g. a range of geographical areas; different stages of career; Earned Recognition Accreditation Level being applied for). Therefore, regrettably, if we receive more than 100 Registration Forms from candidates who meet the criteria, we will be unable to invite all to undertake Accreditation Assessment. Please note that a current Level 2 Class Survey Licence (or higher) is a pre-requisite of the Pilot.

Ecologist registration will be open from 5^th July 2021 to 15^th August 2021. If we receive more than 100 Registration Forms from candidates who meet the criteria, we reserve the right to close registration before this date. We therefore encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity. Please note that a current Level 2 Class Survey Licence (or higher) is a pre-requisite of the Pilot.

We will aim to notify all candidates who have submitted a Registration Form by 31st August 2021.

Participation in the Accreditation Assessment Process

If invited to participate in the accreditation assessment process, the first stage consists of a set of Multiple Choice Questions, reflecting the ER Competency Framework. The MCQs will act as a gateway to participating in the following stages, which includes submission of a portfolio of career evidence, a series of desk-based Online Scenario Tests (OST), and finally a Professional Interview designed to test applicants’ competence against the requirements for one of the three Accreditation Levels. Please see links to the Accreditation Levels and ER Competency Framework. Candidates will be required to pass all stages of the accreditation process. For successfully accredited ecologists, they will gain access to a new streamlined licensing process, which provisionally aims to run from December 2021 through to August 2022, (and potentially beyond). Further benefits are outlined below.

Why Take Part in the ER Pilot?

Applicants who are selected for the ER Pilot and who successfully complete the accreditation process will be registered under a special Class Licence and will be able to submit applications through the new streamlined licensing process for the duration of the pilot. The pilot is intended to go live from December 2021 through to August 2022 (and potentially beyond).

The concept is broadly similar to the Bat Mitigation Class Licence (BMCL – formerly BLICL) but ecologists with ER accreditation will able to use their class licence for work on a much wider range of species and roost types of bats (dependent on their level of accreditation).

Some key benefits of taking part in the pilot and passing accreditation are:

A fast turnaround on most licensing decisions throughout the pilot period;
Your bat mitigation licensing competence will be recognised and accredited by Natural England;
You will be helping to test the ER concept and systems to ensure they work for you; and
You will have the opportunity to provide detailed feedback on the scheme and shape its future development, ensuring it is fit for purpose, and meets the scheme’s three primary aims.

The current consultation Q&A document, along with other ER Pilot background content, can be found on either the CIEEM or BCT websites.

The Privacy Notice relating to the Earned Recognition Pilot can be found here.

Queries

If you have any queries regarding the ER Pilot, please do contact us using EarnedRecognition.Bat@naturalengland.org.uk