It is in the interests of all professional people to systematically maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills. This is necessary for the execution of professional and technical duties. Formal training to assist such Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is widely available and provided by a range of private organisations and academic institutions. However, much of this training is residential in nature and can be sufficiently expensive to preclude take up, except on a restricted basis.

This leaves a gap in the provision of training. This gap can be partially filled if professionals themselves are able and willing to organise low-key, inexpensive events where they can exchange their own knowledge and skills with others.

Disciplines within the profession have specific training needs and therefore a limited target audience. Organisation of training by professionals for fellow professionals makes sense in both organisational and cost effectiveness terms. It is therefore an active policy of CIEEM to organise training courses on aspects of work that are directly relevant to ecologists and environmental managers.