Wider Public Health Workforce Education Pathways
RSPH has developed new educational offerings that combine our training and qualifications to support your career and help you to progress in the wider public health workforce.
Whether you want to start a new career or gain formal recognition for your work and skills, our public health career pathways will help you to develop in your own way.
Training Packages
Supporting the wider workforce to develop public health skills and knowledge in areas of need, our packages are a curated collection of education products that will:
- support organisations to build their internal capacity and capabilities in relation to public health
- provide motivated learners with the tools to have a positive impact on new or additional areas of health and wellbeing.
- build points through attainment of recognised qualifications to transfer across to the RSPH Pathway.
Launching summer 2025: take a look at the packages launching soon or contact us to discuss your organisational requirements.
Public Health Education Pathways
Tailored towards career development and progression, public health training pathways provide a points-based modular educational route for you to:
- build skills and competencies in public health
- facilitate career entry and progression into and across the public health system.
- be recognised as a valuable member of the wider public health workforce
- showcase your achievements through RSPH membership
- gain recognised qualifications that follow you through your career
Find out more about the RSPH Modular Public Health Pathway route:
The need for public health training pathways
Our vision is for a clearly defined wider public health workforce that has accessible professional pathways and standards to support career development, help them to secure better-paid work, and demonstrate their contribution to large-scale health prevention, protection, and improvement.
Who is in the wider public health workforce?
The RSPH defines the wider public health workforce as “all staff who are engaged in or want to engage in public health activities, who identify public health as being an important part of their role but are not employed within the core public health workforce” and is estimated to encompass approximately 1.5 million individuals (Unusual Suspects Report, 2024). For further information on the roles and professions included in this workforce, see our careers hub.
The wider public health workforce works across a wide range of sectors, occupations, and settings that may not be traditionally understood as public health. At the same time however, they could – or may want the opportunity to – apply public health approaches in their daily work
Members of the wider public health workforce are therefore able to make an immense positive contribution to health and wellbeing through their work. The RSPH is committed to supporting the wider public health workforce, recognising its contribution to public health, and working with partners to develop the tools that can help it to strengthen its impact.
Why is the wider public health workforce important?
We know that we need to shift from treatment to prevention but to do so we will need to develop a workforce that can support this shift. In real terms this means:
- Developing public health skills in the Wider Public Health Workforce and knowledge in a range of people who previously haven’t had the opportunity to, the “Unusual Suspects”.
- Ensuring that those working in the NHS have the right skills to prevent ill health.
- Building capacity and capability in businesses and workplaces to support healthier lives.
What are the education priorities for the wider public health workforce?
RSPH has been engaging with the wider public health workforce to find out the challenges they face and how they might be better supported around career development and delivering public health. From this work, RSPH has set out three core education priorities for the workforce:
- There need to be more visible routes into public health – so that working in wider public health is seen across society as accessible and rewarding.
- Training and qualifications are crucial - alongside accessible pathways to develop skills and support career progression.
- Utilising transferable skills across the wider public health workforce - to allow transition between roles and settings/sectors.
Workforce resources
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