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Free course · Quality management

ISO 14001 Environmental Management and Internal Auditing

This free course shows how to build and audit an environmental management system to ISO 14001:2026. You set context and scope, score environmental aspects, map a product life cycle, build a register of compliance obligations, set objectives, control operations and contractors, plan spill drills, track indicators, and audit the system to ISO 19011. It suits environmental advisers, HSEQ coordinators and managers in UK sites preparing for certification or a surveillance audit. It teaches internal auditing, not lead auditor skills.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
15
Video
12 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain what an environmental management system is and what certification shows; set context, interested parties and scope; write an environmental policy and assign roles; list environmental aspects and score their significance; map the life cycle of a product; build a legal register of compliance obligations; set measurable objectives and plans; control documented information, operations and contractors; plan emergency response and run a spill drill; calculate monitoring indicators such as waste per unit; plan and perform an internal audit using ISO 19011 and write nonconformity statements; run a management review and a corrective action; and prepare for a certification audit and the transition from the 2015 edition.

  • Explain what an EMS is and what an ISO 14001:2026 certificate shows
  • Set context, interested parties and scope, and write an environmental policy
  • Score environmental aspects and name the significant ones with a written rule
  • Map a product's life cycle and mark what the organisation controls and influences
  • Build a legal register of compliance obligations by law family
  • Set measurable objectives, calculate indicators and read a control chart
  • Plan operational control and emergency response, and run a spill drill
  • Plan and carry out an internal audit with ISO 19011 and write nonconformity statements
  • Run a management review and a corrective action, and prepare for a certification audit

Software

A spreadsheet (LibreOffice Calc or Google Sheets is free) for the aspects register, legal register and indicators, and a document editor for the policy and audit records. You do not need to buy the standard to follow the course, but anyone implementing it for real should hold a licensed copy of ISO 14001:2026 and read the national environmental law that applies to the site.

Hardware

None.

Syllabus

15 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1ISO 14001 and the EMS: what it is and why organisations certify3 lessons
  2. 2Context, interested parties and EMS scope3 lessons
  3. 3Leadership, environmental policy and roles2 lessons
  4. 4Environmental aspects, impacts and significance4 lessons
  5. 5The life-cycle perspective2 lessons
  6. 6Compliance obligations and the legal register1 lesson
  7. 7Risks, opportunities, objectives and planning action3 lessons
  8. 8Support: competence, awareness, communication and documented information2 lessons
  9. 9Operational control and emergency preparedness and response2 lessons
  10. 10Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation of compliance4 lessons
  11. 11Internal audit with ISO 19011: programme, principles and plan3 lessons
  12. 12Internal audit in practice: checklist, sampling, evidence and findings3 lessons
  13. 13Management review, nonconformity, corrective action and improvement3 lessons
  14. 14The certification audit journey3 lessons
  15. 15Final Assessment0 lessons

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for ISO 14001 Environmental Management and Internal Auditing

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Jobs

Jobs this course can lead to

The skills in this course are used in quality and project engineering work, for example as an environmental advisor, a hseq coordinator and an environmental officer. No course can promise a job, and employers also look for experience, so read what live adverts ask for.

Questions

About this course

Last reviewed 1 November 2026.

Is this an IEMA or CQI lead auditor course?
No. It teaches the management system and internal auditing, and it is not a lead auditor, IRCA or IEMA course. Those bodies run their own registered courses. Use this one to learn the standard and practise audits first.
Does it cover UK environmental law?
It shows how to build a legal register and test compliance, using worked examples. It does not replace advice on your own obligations, such as permits or waste duty of care, which you should check against current UK guidance.
Which edition of ISO 14001 does it teach?
ISO 14001:2026, the edition published in 2026, with notes on what changed from 2015 and the transition period certification bodies are working to. It paraphrases the standard and never reproduces its text.
What is the ISO 14001 Environmental Management and Internal Auditing course?
It is a free-to-learn course on building and auditing an environmental management system to ISO 14001:2026. You learn from curated lessons, EDWartens notes, worked problems, a project and a question bank, and earn a verifiable certificate of completion.
Who is this ISO 14001 course for?
It is for environmental, health and safety, quality, maintenance and operations staff, engineers and graduates who will help run or audit an EMS. No management system experience is needed, and the worked case is a bottling plant.
Do I need to buy the standard?
You can follow the course without it, because the notes paraphrase the requirements and never copy the text. Anyone implementing an EMS for real should hold a licensed copy of ISO 14001:2026 and read the environmental law that applies to the site.
Does the course make me an ISO 14001 lead auditor?
No. It teaches internal auditor knowledge with ISO 19011 and a worked audit. Lead auditor and IRCA or CQI qualifications come from recognised training schemes with their own exams and audit experience. EDWartens is not affiliated with ISO, IRCA or CQI.
What certificate do I get?
You get a verifiable certificate of completion from EDWartens, issued when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 per cent. It has a unique number, a QR code and a public page showing the course, modules and final score.
How long does the course take?
About 10 hours of video and around 12 hours in total with the notes, worked problems and practice, at your own pace. There are 14 study modules and a final. The first module is about 30 minutes of video.

Want a live class and career support?

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module
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