Environmental Heath Apprentice
Bristol City Council
Bristol (BS1 6HT)
Closes in 24 days (Monday 4 May 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 10 April 2026
Contents
Summary
Join Private Housing Services and train to become an Environmental Health Housing Officer while studying for a BSc. You’ll support inspections, improve housing standards, and work with teams across the council. Strong communication skills and interest in housing required.
- Wage
-
Competitive
Competitive wage offered
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Pay will be reviewed annually in line with National Joint Council (NJC) Local Government pay awards and Bristol City Council’s apprentice pay policies
- Training course
- Environmental health practitioner (integrated degree) (level 6)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, with travel across Bristol for visits. Includes one university study day per week. Occasional evening or weekend work may be needed.
37 hours a week
- Start date
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Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
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4 years
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- Support inspections and investigations in the private rented sector to help improve housing standards
- Assist officers with identifying hazards, gathering evidence, and contributing to enforcement actions
- Help plan, deliver, and evaluate Environmental Health Housing projects and initiatives
- Work with colleagues across the Private Housing Service and other council teams to improve health and housing outcomes
- Communicate with tenants, landlords, and partner organisations to support casework and provide information
- Review evidence and contribute to audits, reports, and service improvements
- Spend time with other Environmental Health teams (e.g., food safety, pollution, health & safety) to gain wider experience
- Attend all apprenticeship training, submit coursework on time, and apply learning in practical settings
- Follow council policies, complete mandatory training, and work safely and professionally at all times
Where you'll work
100 Temple Street
Bristol
BS1 6HT
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
WESTON COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Training course
Environmental health practitioner (integrated degree) (level 6)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Provide specialist, professional and technical environmental health advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders such as residents, businesses, property owners, government agencies and partners
- Plan, undertake and lead inspections, audits and other forms of investigations across the breadth of environmental health matters
- Evaluate applications and grant relevant licences and permits eg. environmental permits, HMOs, caravan sites, skin piercing, tattooists etc
- Negotiate with and influence a range of stakeholders in relation to a range of environmental health matters
- Identify, evaluate and communicate environmental health risks and risk management solutions to a range of stakeholders
- Ensure all activities are undertaken in accordance with relevant legislation, guidance and codes of practice
- Infer and apply a range of legislation related to environmental health, eg. the Environment Act, Environmental Protection Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Food Safety Act, Housing Act, Public Health Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, data protection legislation, anti-social behaviour legislation etc
- Employ a range of research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve environmental health issues through creative and critical thinking, devising practical solutions and applying problem solving strategies
- Critically evaluate and analyse evidence and information
- Formulate judgements and decisions based on the evidence available and applied knowledge eg. on acceptable levels of pollution emissions, water data, acceptable levels of noise etc
- Manage objective measurement and analysis of scientific information to determine the appropriate course of action eg. noise measurement, air emissions etc
- Appraise, implement and communicate relevant interventions eg. enforcement actions
- Produce accurate records and reports and where appropriate, recommend interventions, including the collection and handling of evidence with a view towards legal proceedings
- Assess and deal effectively with difficult and confrontational situations
- Participate in health promotional activities in high priority environmental health areas eg. shisha, smoking, obesity, food safety etc
- Implement effective decision making, exercising discretion, initiative and independence within the scope of own role
- Communicate and influence effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders including spoken and written communication skills, presentation skills, giving advice and guidance / mediating / negotiating and persuading, handling private and sensitive information (eg. data protection)
- Use a range of standard IT packages to undertake for example, word processing activities, produce reports and input / analyse data
- Work as part of a multi-disciplinary and/or multi-organisational team and collaborate to achieve successful outcomes
- Lead activities relating to environmental health matters
- Carry out sampling and collect evidence for monitoring, investigations and/or enforcement purposes in accordance with legislation and current guidance
- Examine and assess compliance with conditions
- Plan, organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines
- Provide specialist, professional and technical environmental health advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders such as residents, businesses, property owners, government agencies and partners
- Plan, undertake and lead inspections, audits and other forms of investigations across the breadth of environmental health matters
- Evaluate applications and grant relevant licences and permits eg. environmental permits, HMOs, caravan sites, skin piercing, tattooists etc
- Negotiate with and influence a range of stakeholders in relation to a range of environmental health matters
- Identify, evaluate and communicate environmental health risks and risk management solutions to a range of stakeholders
- Ensure all activities are undertaken in accordance with relevant legislation, guidance and codes of practice
- Infer and apply a range of legislation related to environmental health, eg. the Environment Act, Environmental Protection Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Food Safety Act, Housing Act, Public Health Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, data protection legislation, anti-social behaviour legislation etc
- Employ a range of research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve environmental health issues through creative and critical thinking, devising practical solutions and applying problem solving strategies
- Critically evaluate and analyse evidence and information
- Formulate judgements and decisions based on the evidence available and applied knowledge eg. on acceptable levels of pollution emissions, water data, acceptable levels of noise etc
- Manage objective measurement and analysis of scientific information to determine the appropriate course of action eg. noise measurement, air emissions etc
- Appraise, implement and communicate relevant interventions eg. enforcement actions
- Produce accurate records and reports and where appropriate, recommend interventions, including the collection and handling of evidence with a view towards legal proceedings
- Assess and deal effectively with difficult and confrontational situations
- Participate in health promotional activities in high priority environmental health areas eg. shisha, smoking, obesity, food safety etc
- Implement effective decision making, exercising discretion, initiative and independence within the scope of own role
- Communicate and influence effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders including spoken and written communication skills, presentation skills, giving advice and guidance / mediating / negotiating and persuading, handling private and sensitive information (eg. data protection)
- Use a range of standard IT packages to undertake for example, word processing activities, produce reports and input / analyse data
- Work as part of a multi-disciplinary and/or multi-organisational team and collaborate to achieve successful outcomes
- Lead activities relating to environmental health matters
- Carry out sampling and collect evidence for monitoring, investigations and/or enforcement purposes in accordance with legislation and current guidance
- Examine and assess compliance with conditions
- Plan, organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines
Training schedule
Training will be delivered through a mix of on‑the‑job learning within Bristol City Council’s Private Housing Service and off‑the‑job study with the University Centre Weston (UCW), who deliver the Environmental Health Practitioner BSc (Hons) degree apprenticeship.
Where training will take place:
On the job:
Private Housing Service and Accessible Homes teams, Bristol City Council. Work will take place across Bristol, including office-based work and site visits in the private rented sector.
Off the job (university learning) - University Centre Weston (UCW)
University Centre Weston, Knightstone Campus, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 2AL.
Apprentices may need to travel to UCW for taught sessions, workshops, and assessments.
How often training will be:
- University teaching typically takes place one day per week during term time (day‑release model)
- On‑the‑job training happens throughout the week, with structured learning tasks, shadowing, and supervised casework
- Assessor or mentor meetings will take place regularly, usually monthly, to monitor progress and support development
- Apprentices are expected to complete coursework, attend all taught sessions, and apply their learning to real work activities
More training information
The apprenticeship is delivered in partnership with University Centre Weston (UCW), an established provider of Environmental Health degree apprenticeships. UCW offers structured academic support, access to online learning resources, and regular tutor contact to help apprentices progress through the programme.
The training is structured as a day‑release model, where apprentices attend university teaching one day per week during term time and spend the rest of the week completing practical learning within Bristol City Council. University sessions include lectures, workshops, assessments, and meetings with academic mentors.
Throughout the four‑year programme, apprentices follow a planned schedule that aligns academic modules with workplace tasks, enabling them to apply learning directly to real cases and supervised investigations. Progress is monitored through regular reviews involving the apprentice, their manager, and the training provider to ensure development is on track and that support is provided where needed.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade Grade: C / 4 or above)
- Maths (grade Grade: C / 4 or above)
Other in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Administrative skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Presentation skills – ability
Other requirements
Willingness to travel across Bristol for site visits. Ability to work safely and follow council policies and codes of conduct. Must attend all apprenticeship training and complete mandatory training. Commitment to ongoing professional development. Flexible and able to work in a changing environment, with the ability to work independently when required.
About this employer
Bristol City Council is committed to equality and diversity, as both a provider of services to the community and to our employees. Our practices and procedures aim to reflect the varied needs, expectations and culture of all members of our community and our workforce. Please note that if you were to be invited to interview, you will be asked a question on equal opportunities.
https://www.bristol.gov.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Flexible working, flexitime, LGPS pension, generous annual leave, and a supportive workplace helping you develop and contribute to Bristol.
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
On completion of the apprenticeship and BSc (Hons), the apprentice will be able to progress into a qualified Environmental Health Housing Officer role. Experience gained across wider Environmental Health areas also supports progression into roles such as Environmental Health Officer, Private Sector Housing Officer, or other regulatory positions within the council. The role provides a strong foundation for future professional development, including ongoing CPD and potential chartership.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
WESTON COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION
bristol.apprentices@bristol.gov.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000025782.
Apply now
Closes in 24 days (Monday 4 May 2026 at 11:59pm)