Getting a sponsor for CEng IMechE?
Discussion
Hi,
I’ve been preparing my application for professional registration with the IMechE (CEng).
I have the qualifications and (IMO) the experience to meet the requirements for registration. I asked the IMechE to review a draft of my application and the feedback was positive, they confirmed that the content satisfied the requirements for CEng but advised an edit to the language as I had used the ‘third person’ too much when talking through the competencies.
My current company does not have any Engineers registered as CEng, and they don’t really care for it, so it may prove difficult to secure a sponsor. I reached out to a manager at my previous company (who I didn’t directly work with) but they feel that I don’t yet have the experience needed for CEng, and are unwilling to sponsor me at present.
So now do I go knocking on doors until I get a sponsor and let the IMechE decide... or do I take on the advice from a potential sponsor, review things in 6-12 months and go for it again?
Has anyone here gone through professional registration on your own/without the support of your current employer and have any advice?
I’ve been preparing my application for professional registration with the IMechE (CEng).
I have the qualifications and (IMO) the experience to meet the requirements for registration. I asked the IMechE to review a draft of my application and the feedback was positive, they confirmed that the content satisfied the requirements for CEng but advised an edit to the language as I had used the ‘third person’ too much when talking through the competencies.
My current company does not have any Engineers registered as CEng, and they don’t really care for it, so it may prove difficult to secure a sponsor. I reached out to a manager at my previous company (who I didn’t directly work with) but they feel that I don’t yet have the experience needed for CEng, and are unwilling to sponsor me at present.
So now do I go knocking on doors until I get a sponsor and let the IMechE decide... or do I take on the advice from a potential sponsor, review things in 6-12 months and go for it again?
Has anyone here gone through professional registration on your own/without the support of your current employer and have any advice?
I have registered as IEng and more recently as CEng with the IET - different organisation but there should be many parallels to the process.
My first question is are you already a member of the IMechE? If you are this should make access to advice much easier. When applying for IEng a few years ago I had joined the IET a few months prior. This was advantageous as it meant I could discuss my application with a Professional Registration Adviser. If the IMechE have a similar resource pool (and I'd be surprised if they didn't) then this would be much more useful to tap in to than a sponsor who may not be that au fait with the application requirements - even if they are registered!
Not sure about what to do in the event of being unable to find a sponsor but I'm sure the IMechE can advise. If you haven't completed a Professional Registration application before and you don't have ready access to advice then it can be difficult to know what they are looking for - I'm sponsoring a couple of guys at work through IEng and they are having similar difficulty. My advice:
1. Remember this is about you and your achievements so it should absolutely be in the first person.
2. If you were part of team for some of your evidence then focus on your specific input rather than what the team achieved.
3. Use the Eng Spec as a spreadsheet and make sure you have a minimum of at least one piece of evidence mapped against each Spec line.
4. Drop the jargon and explain your engineering skill and experience in plain terms which assume only limited prior knowledge. Your application will be reviewed by the Engineering Council but if you work in a niche area then you will need to explain this in more detail. You will be interviewed by people who work in your field but even so do mot assume they know the intricacies of your role(s).
Hope this helps.
My first question is are you already a member of the IMechE? If you are this should make access to advice much easier. When applying for IEng a few years ago I had joined the IET a few months prior. This was advantageous as it meant I could discuss my application with a Professional Registration Adviser. If the IMechE have a similar resource pool (and I'd be surprised if they didn't) then this would be much more useful to tap in to than a sponsor who may not be that au fait with the application requirements - even if they are registered!
Not sure about what to do in the event of being unable to find a sponsor but I'm sure the IMechE can advise. If you haven't completed a Professional Registration application before and you don't have ready access to advice then it can be difficult to know what they are looking for - I'm sponsoring a couple of guys at work through IEng and they are having similar difficulty. My advice:
1. Remember this is about you and your achievements so it should absolutely be in the first person.
2. If you were part of team for some of your evidence then focus on your specific input rather than what the team achieved.
3. Use the Eng Spec as a spreadsheet and make sure you have a minimum of at least one piece of evidence mapped against each Spec line.
4. Drop the jargon and explain your engineering skill and experience in plain terms which assume only limited prior knowledge. Your application will be reviewed by the Engineering Council but if you work in a niche area then you will need to explain this in more detail. You will be interviewed by people who work in your field but even so do mot assume they know the intricacies of your role(s).
Hope this helps.
you don't need to be a member to apply for chartership, you just need a valid reason why you haven't pursued membership previously. this can be as simple as you haven't needed it in your career thus far.
seriously book a visit with your regional BDM. they are actively trying to get people to join and grow the institute, will take your through the whole process and give you all the info packs. it was actually quite eye opening for me as i'd always seen it as much more trying/testing a process.
must say the advice about it being focused on you is the most important part. the BDM told us this is what trips up most applicants as engineers don't tend to be 'me' oriented. its basically down to you to demonstrate to 3 people that you meet the criteria. it is NOT for them to try to disprove this or trip you up.
seriously book a visit with your regional BDM. they are actively trying to get people to join and grow the institute, will take your through the whole process and give you all the info packs. it was actually quite eye opening for me as i'd always seen it as much more trying/testing a process.
must say the advice about it being focused on you is the most important part. the BDM told us this is what trips up most applicants as engineers don't tend to be 'me' oriented. its basically down to you to demonstrate to 3 people that you meet the criteria. it is NOT for them to try to disprove this or trip you up.
shirt said:
speak to your regional bdm, that's what they're there for. we had one come visit us in dubai and there's only 2 of us in the company looking to get chartered.
I will probably start here as others have also said. The BDM arranged for my feedback so I will speak to them regarding a sponsor and see if there is a way around it.Another chartered mechanical here, an ex-boss was a fellow who did many interviews for C.Eng. at Birdcage Walk. I went in as a mature candidate at 44.
Instant Cynicism has most of the points covered, and it is one of the few occasions where the application is most definitely about YOU, so it must be in the first person.
Its what YOU did, YOU accomplished, YOU improved, YOU supervised etc… etc…
Be realistic about your core competencies, there may be some parts of your experience that you are lacking on, but its only when the forms are read by others, you appreciate this. The key here is to realise all this BEFORE starting the application! Easier said than done. Many finite element specialists are technical whizzes but have no supervisory experience, so they fall down here.
Definitely drop the jargon, some lines of engineering (especially defence work) are riddled with acronyms. Use simple straight forward language.
You should be interviewed by senior engineers who know some of what you talk about but not everything, as its your duty to explain the technicalities should they wish to ask. This demonstrates your ability to explain things in a suitable manner to those who may not have grasped the finer details. You should NOT be interviewed by a previous colleague, client, supplier, or competitor. To be fair, the IMechE tends to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Go to a local “become a chartered engineer” event at regional IMechE nights. The web site has all the details. Someone there may be able to help.
Stress the following: -
State how green you are, and how you care deeply about the environment.
State that you are care deeply about engineering in the UK or anywhere really...
State that you are always willing to learn more about the legal and moral implications of your work.
State that you like to help youngsters to become engineers like you are.
It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, it’s all good self-marketing guff.
As you have stated, some companies don’t really care for C.Eng. I’ve seen this myself, and the company concerned (making pressure vessels) made all the chartered engineers redundant along with a few others. A truly stunning short-sighted event which caused them a great deal of long-term harm. The engineering manager and the technical director were of the opinion that it was patents that mattered, not letters after your name. Their insurance company thought otherwise. Also, companies see C.Eng. as passport to a better paid future, no doubt elsewhere, and so don’t like their engineers doing it for that reason. Most companies are rather pleased though, and gladly say to visitors “there are 9 chartered engineers in this office” and the visitor sees 12 people in it…
The goal posts have been changing for years with the IMechE. Initially it was someone senior putting in a good word to Old Fred for you who knew someone at Birdcage Walk. A bit too much of an old boys’ club. Then it was you had to have published work, difficult if you work in the defence industry or you are working on hush-hush market leading research - but it got a lot of academics in. Then you had to have control of a budget, so all the project managers who couldn’t read drawings got in- and so it went on.
The IMechE is far from perfect, but it’s the only institution there is that sort-of looks after mechanical engineering.
Instant Cynicism has most of the points covered, and it is one of the few occasions where the application is most definitely about YOU, so it must be in the first person.
Its what YOU did, YOU accomplished, YOU improved, YOU supervised etc… etc…
Be realistic about your core competencies, there may be some parts of your experience that you are lacking on, but its only when the forms are read by others, you appreciate this. The key here is to realise all this BEFORE starting the application! Easier said than done. Many finite element specialists are technical whizzes but have no supervisory experience, so they fall down here.
Definitely drop the jargon, some lines of engineering (especially defence work) are riddled with acronyms. Use simple straight forward language.
You should be interviewed by senior engineers who know some of what you talk about but not everything, as its your duty to explain the technicalities should they wish to ask. This demonstrates your ability to explain things in a suitable manner to those who may not have grasped the finer details. You should NOT be interviewed by a previous colleague, client, supplier, or competitor. To be fair, the IMechE tends to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Go to a local “become a chartered engineer” event at regional IMechE nights. The web site has all the details. Someone there may be able to help.
Stress the following: -
State how green you are, and how you care deeply about the environment.
State that you are care deeply about engineering in the UK or anywhere really...
State that you are always willing to learn more about the legal and moral implications of your work.
State that you like to help youngsters to become engineers like you are.
It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, it’s all good self-marketing guff.
As you have stated, some companies don’t really care for C.Eng. I’ve seen this myself, and the company concerned (making pressure vessels) made all the chartered engineers redundant along with a few others. A truly stunning short-sighted event which caused them a great deal of long-term harm. The engineering manager and the technical director were of the opinion that it was patents that mattered, not letters after your name. Their insurance company thought otherwise. Also, companies see C.Eng. as passport to a better paid future, no doubt elsewhere, and so don’t like their engineers doing it for that reason. Most companies are rather pleased though, and gladly say to visitors “there are 9 chartered engineers in this office” and the visitor sees 12 people in it…
The goal posts have been changing for years with the IMechE. Initially it was someone senior putting in a good word to Old Fred for you who knew someone at Birdcage Walk. A bit too much of an old boys’ club. Then it was you had to have published work, difficult if you work in the defence industry or you are working on hush-hush market leading research - but it got a lot of academics in. Then you had to have control of a budget, so all the project managers who couldn’t read drawings got in- and so it went on.
The IMechE is far from perfect, but it’s the only institution there is that sort-of looks after mechanical engineering.
Sorry - brief response as off to a meeting - the IMechE has a cohort of volunteers who help people applying for Chartered status and have no access to an in-company mentor. I used to be one and helped two people I had never met to become Chartered.
Just phone the IMechE and ask them to put you in touch with one.
Just phone the IMechE and ask them to put you in touch with one.
Lol. I’d met the Scotland rep when visiting our glasgow office and she put me in touch with the guy. He was here for a week and then heading to Asia, he deals with the foreign members as they’re trying to grow both tech and CEng membership with expats and UK owned foreign based companies.
My colleague already sat his interview and said there was no one on it who actually worked as an engineer. He passed and out company gave him a £500 bonus that month in recognition. I’m Writing my application at the moment
My colleague already sat his interview and said there was no one on it who actually worked as an engineer. He passed and out company gave him a £500 bonus that month in recognition. I’m Writing my application at the moment
Edited by shirt on Wednesday 28th August 19:39
Depends what they do surely?
At my old (engineering) company our head of purchasing was CEng IMechE. It was the only outfit I’ve worked at where purchasing knew what they were talking about and proactive in sourcing products to meet a spec, did FAT testing etc. Contrast that with your usual eng company where the engineer pretty much does everything bar issue the PO.
I can’t remember what roles his panel members did within their companies. Will ask.
At my old (engineering) company our head of purchasing was CEng IMechE. It was the only outfit I’ve worked at where purchasing knew what they were talking about and proactive in sourcing products to meet a spec, did FAT testing etc. Contrast that with your usual eng company where the engineer pretty much does everything bar issue the PO.
I can’t remember what roles his panel members did within their companies. Will ask.
Interesting read.
I am now 32, three jobs and nine years out of graduating, and looking to finally get around to sorted my chartership having got 1/3 of the way through the MPDS scheme as a graduate and then sat on it a rather long time without seeing a lot of demand for it. However I feel it is a feather I would like to have in my cap!
Membership has been intermittent but they always re-instate me if a pay for a year after a break. Planning to get to a 'CEng Training Day' and understand there are chartered people within my company who will be able to sponsor me.
Daniel
I am now 32, three jobs and nine years out of graduating, and looking to finally get around to sorted my chartership having got 1/3 of the way through the MPDS scheme as a graduate and then sat on it a rather long time without seeing a lot of demand for it. However I feel it is a feather I would like to have in my cap!
Membership has been intermittent but they always re-instate me if a pay for a year after a break. Planning to get to a 'CEng Training Day' and understand there are chartered people within my company who will be able to sponsor me.
Daniel
Here you go OP:
https://www.imeche.org/get-involved/volunteering-o...
This appears to describe exactly what you're looking for.
I'd be interested in the experience that you have with the Institution when you contact them - a colleague has asked me to sponsor him and we've heard nothing from the Institution when either of us has contacted them to enquire about it.
https://www.imeche.org/get-involved/volunteering-o...
This appears to describe exactly what you're looking for.
I'd be interested in the experience that you have with the Institution when you contact them - a colleague has asked me to sponsor him and we've heard nothing from the Institution when either of us has contacted them to enquire about it.
Hi Guys,
I am in a similar situation where I need a registered sponsor for my CEng application. I work for a SME which does not have any engineer registered with an engineering council.
Is someone available to look at my application and help me out with sponsorship? Highly appreciate your time.
Thank you,
Sarj
I am in a similar situation where I need a registered sponsor for my CEng application. I work for a SME which does not have any engineer registered with an engineering council.
Is someone available to look at my application and help me out with sponsorship? Highly appreciate your time.
Thank you,
Sarj
PM me - I may not be able to help – but I’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
Now is a good time to become chartered, more engineers are retiring than there are coming in at the bottom. The IMechE have dropped the requirements, and so now is the time to strike while the iron is hot. We “need” lots of STEM people, so this lowering the bar is a good way of getting that box ticked.
Don’t expect.
Anything magical to happen where you currently work when you become chartered. Pay raises, fantastic opportunities and new work. I got an actual physical pat on the back from the technical director - that was it! Although they did pay my subs....
Anything fantastic to happen from the IMechE themselves, they are part of the problem not the solution.
Do expect.
Agencies to contact you with offers of new work elsewhere. They keep an eye on the published lists of new chartered engineers and go trawling through LinkedIn.
To start wondering where your £340+ p.a. in subs is going.
Don’t bother with the Eur.Ing stuff. 85% of the engineers that have this are in the UK, which demonstrates how much UK engineers are desperate for recognition. I’ve met German engineers, and indeed have colleagues, who have never even heard of it.
Now is a good time to become chartered, more engineers are retiring than there are coming in at the bottom. The IMechE have dropped the requirements, and so now is the time to strike while the iron is hot. We “need” lots of STEM people, so this lowering the bar is a good way of getting that box ticked.
Don’t expect.
Anything magical to happen where you currently work when you become chartered. Pay raises, fantastic opportunities and new work. I got an actual physical pat on the back from the technical director - that was it! Although they did pay my subs....
Anything fantastic to happen from the IMechE themselves, they are part of the problem not the solution.
Do expect.
Agencies to contact you with offers of new work elsewhere. They keep an eye on the published lists of new chartered engineers and go trawling through LinkedIn.
To start wondering where your £340+ p.a. in subs is going.
Don’t bother with the Eur.Ing stuff. 85% of the engineers that have this are in the UK, which demonstrates how much UK engineers are desperate for recognition. I’ve met German engineers, and indeed have colleagues, who have never even heard of it.
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