IMechE information provided by WBLE Swansea University Thinking of becoming a Chartered Engineer? For a professional engineer, gaining Chartered Status is a key milestone. Many branches of science and engineering are governed by a professional body with a Royal Charter. For example, The Institution of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) and the Institution of Civil engineers (ICE). Professionals working in these areas can apply to become members and, later, fellows of these bodies, indicating their professional status. What is a Chartered Engineer? Lots of people call themselves engineer’s, ranging from the person that comes to fix your boiler, to someone that designs bridges. These people are correct to call themselves engineers of a sort, but the level of skills and experience can vary greatly among them. Education and practical experience are both taken into consideration when an engineer applies for Chartered Status. A Chartered Engineer is an engineer who has reached a high level of competency and commitment to professionalism in their particular branch of engineering. In the UK, the Engineering Council set the skills and competencies required to become a Chartered Engineer. What are the benefits of becoming a Chartered Engineer? The benefits of becoming chartered are many and vary for each individual and each specialism within the broad field of engineering. They will however, generally, increase your promotional prospects, your earning power, gain respect from people both within and outside of the engineering industry and many more. In short you will gain:       The status of being part of a technical elite Recognition of your expertise by professional peers International recognition of your qualifications Improved career prospects Greater influence within your organisation and industry Access to life-long learning With these benefits comes a level of responsibility to the engineering profession and yourself with rules and regulations which must be followed. Once you have gained achieved chartered status, you can put CEng after your name. Institution of Mechanical Engineers - IMechE For registration as a Chartered Engineer, it is necessary for candidates to demonstrate that they are professionally competent through education, training and professional practice. Swansea University Work Based Learning in Engineering IMechE IMechE information provided by WBLE Swansea University Career Structure – Chartered Engineer      Gain good grades in Physics and Mathematics Achieve masters accredited training Gain Professional Experience Complete application process – form, professional review & interview Awarded Chartered Engineer Status (CEng) The educational phase of the application is probably the most structured of the three stages to complete. You will need to get yourself on an engineering course accredited by the Engineering Council. The professional accreditation is delivered by the Engineering Council which is the UK’s regulatory body for the engineering profession. To gain entry to an accredited engineering degree course you will normally need to have A2 level Maths and Physics. A Masters level degree or equivalent is required to meet the educational requirements for the chartered Engineer application. Once you have achieved your educational background to engineering, you will need to put your training into practice. Not only will you need to develop your engineering skills but also skills in management of technical work and people, business, and professional judgement. These skills will take several years to develop. The way you gain your experience and competencies will vary by individual, company and institution – you will need to do your research to find the most suited route for you. If you get the opportunity to work in different environments you will find this very beneficial as you will gain experience much more quickly and cover a wider skill base. For most professional engineers, chartered status is likely to come in their late twenties, perhaps 10 years after leaving school. It takes that long to gain a higher level degree and to have the necessary experience. This may seem an awfully long way off, but planning ahead will certainly be beneficial. Perhaps the best reason to become a Chartered engineer is that it demonstrates a desire to take responsibility for your professional development, of taking pride in your professional achievements, of going the extra mile. In everyone's journey towards Professional Registration there are three stages. 1. Meet the academic requirements 2. Demonstrate your competence as defined by UK SPEC 3. Attend a Professional Review Interview IMechE provides support to candidates at every stage in this process and are available to give advice if needed. Swansea University Work Based Learning in Engineering IMechE IMechE information provided by WBLE Swansea University Meet the academic requirements Experience will be taken into account when applying to become a member of the Institution and each individual will be reviewed on their own merit. Since 1997 it has been necessary to demonstrate University Masters-level knowledge and understanding, most commonly by the completion of the 4 year undergraduate MEng degree, or by gaining an appropriate masters degree following the completion of a 3 year bachelor degree in engineering or a cognate subject. Once you have registered with the Institution as an associate member, you will need to complete a qualification checker which the Academic Assessment Committee (AAC) uses to assess your academic achievements for registration. The AAC can either accept your qualifications as they are, or recommend further steps to enable you to meet the criteria, when a Further Learning Application is then necessary. To get the ball rolling it is a good idea to complete the qualification checker on the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) website. Completing Further Learning to meet the CEng academic requirement means that you will be gaining the knowledge and understanding to Masters Level. You’re learning acts as a foundation to your Initial Professional Development which is a separate requirement for registration. There are a number of ways that Further Learning can be completed and our Further Learning Guidelines explain the different routes available to achieve this:  An accredited postgraduate academic route  An approved Company Further Learning Scheme  An approved Individual Further Learning Plan If you find that the best option for you is either a postgraduate qualification that does not hold accreditation or perhaps a combination of modules, courses and/or work based learning, an Individual Further Learning Plan is the route for you to follow. Within your Plan you will find that Further Learning is set against QAA benchmark statements, and will include knowledge gain in the following areas:  Deepening of Engineering and Scientific knowledge to Masters Level  Broadening of Technical & Non-Technical knowledge As a guideline, the total amount of study advised for a CEng Learning Plan is a minimum of 1200 to 1600 comparative hours of study. Swansea University Work Based Learning in Engineering IMechE IMechE information provided by WBLE Swansea University To apply for approval of a CEng Individual Further Learning Plan, you will need to download the CEng FL Plan form. Use the Guidance notes for help in deciding the elements you can include in your plan. There is a Sample plan for ideas on items and information to be included. http://www.imeche.org/membership/professional-development/Gainingregistration If you need further guidance on specific areas of your Plan you are concerned about, please visit: http://www.imeche.org/learning Should your Plan include modules or training courses, you would need to supply full descriptors, handbooks or brochures with your application. These are usually obtainable through the course provider upon request. For further information please visit: http://www.imeche.org/about-us/contact-us or by post to: Institution of Mechanical Engineers Further Learning, Accreditation Department Institution of Mechanical Engineers 1 Birdcage Walk Westminster London SW1H 9JJ UNITED KINGDOM Demonstrate your competence as defined by UK SPEC You can use the qualification checker, available on their web site to assess your current competence against Engineering Council UK-SPEC. Competence Profiles are available to help you to assess your suitability for Membership. Attend a Professional Review Interview The interview process does not require you to develop your skills any further, they simply require you to demonstrate those that you have learnt. The application process can vary by institution but normally consist of preparing a professional review report, filling in an application form and attending an interview. How-to-apply Swansea University Professional-development Work Based Learning in Engineering IMechE IMechE information provided by WBLE Swansea University How can we help? A Chartered Engineer is expected to have a comprehensive understanding of new and existing technology, practices and standards in their field of engineering and an ability to successfully deal with circumstances which fall outside of the range of current knowledge or practice. Hence the need for continuous professional development (CPD). Many of the modules we offer under the Work Based Learning Programme contain the features necessary to evidence CPD; an ideal way of providing further learning evidence for consideration by the AAC. From an employers’ point of view, faced with a choice between similar applicants, one chartered and one not, which one would you choose? For further information on the Work Based Learning Programme at Swansea University please contact us, details below. Project Manager: Stella Ryde Telephone: +44 (0)1792 602625 E mail: [email protected] Project Administrator: Kim Bray Telephone: +44 (0)1792 606441 E mail: [email protected] Work Based Learning College of Engineering Room 342 Grove Building Swansea University Singleton Park Swansea SA2 8PP Project e mail address [email protected] http://www.swan.ac.uk/engineering/wble/ Swansea University Work Based Learning in Engineering IMechE