Qualifications, skills and experience

Here are some ideas about how to find out about the qualifications, skills and experience required for roles in public health.

• The public health skills and knowledge framework provides generic information on the activities and functions of the public heath workforce.
• Those wanting a career in public health should look at information relating to specific roles in order to identify the qualifications, skills and experience they will need. See for example the NHS careers website and our case studies for examples 
• There are a wide range of relevant university courses which could be considered, including degree and masters programmes in public health, health sciences, biostatistics, nutrition and exercise and health
• The RSPH has a very wide range of qualifications and e-learning programmes and which support public health education. Examples of subjects include behaviour change, health improvement,  social prescribing and encouraging vaccination uptake. The RSPH also provides training for the Diploma in Occupational Medicinecourse, which allows participants to meet the requirements for the Faculty of Public Health’s Diploma core syllabus
• The NHS offers several graduate science programmes . These include programmes for speciality public health registrar training incorporating examinations for membership of the Faculty of Public Health. Workforce development training programmes are also supported through Health Education England, NHS Education for Scotland, Health Education and Improvement Wales, Skills for Health and Skills for Care
• There are also public health apprenticeship schemes supported by employers , such as NHS apprenticeshipsand public health practitioner degree apprenticeships
• There are a number of trade unions and professional bodies representing allied health professionals which can provide further information on qualification requirements for specific roles
• The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health provides professional registration for environmental health practitioners
• There is also a voluntary register for both public health practitioners and specialists (UKPHR). Achieving registration is a demonstration of professional competence
• See the infographic from the NHS illustrating two new and emerging population health-focused training programmes, the Population Health Fellowship and the Advanced Practice Credential in Public Health