Becoming Chartered with the ICE
Becoming a chartered engineer is a great goal for a graduate civil engineer. Chartership shows you are technically competent and dedicated to the profession. Being a chartered engineer also increases your career opportunities and earning potential.
Becoming chartered with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) involves navigating a well-defined journey, comprised of three steps:
1. Academic Qualifications: The foundation of your chartered engineer journey begins with your academic qualifications. To be eligible, you must possess either a four-year Master of Engineering (MEng) degree or a combination of an accredited three-year Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree followed by a master's degree in a relevant field. These rigorous academic standards ensure that chartered engineers are equipped with a strong theoretical foundation.
2. Work Experience: Initial Professional Development (IPD): Beyond academic excellence, the path to chartered status hinges on practical experience. This phase, often referred to as Initial Professional Development (IPD), requires you to demonstrate the development of essential skills and competencies essential to the engineering profession. It's during this period that you transform your theoretical knowledge into real-world expertise. Your dedication and competence become evident as you tackle real engineering challenges, underpinning your readiness for the responsibilities of a chartered engineer.
3. Professional Review: The pinnacle of your journey towards chartered status lies in the professional review. This rigorous assessment involves the submission of a comprehensive 5000-word report detailing your experiences, achievements, and contributions in the field of civil engineering. Additionally, you'll undergo an interview conducted by experienced chartered engineers. This final evaluation ensures that you not only possess the technical knowledge but also the practical wisdom to excel as a chartered engineer.
Good Foundations tutor Nick became chartered with the ICE in 2020. Here we ask him about his experiences becoming chartered.
Hi Nick, how are you?
Very well thanks.
Why did you decide to become chartered with the ICE?
I wanted to get chartered as it’s a great way to show you’re committed to your career and have a good level of competence in various aspects of the industry. I chose the ICE specifically as my experience includes a range of civil engineering disciplines, as opposed to a single discipline which would be more suited to another institution.
There are three ways to complete your IPD – an ICE Training Scheme, Mentor-Supported Training and Career Appraisal. What way did you use and why?
I completed my IPD through an ICE Training Scheme. I was fortunate that my employer had a scheme in place, with experienced mentors to guide me through the process.
How many years experience had you had working as an engineer when you started to log your IPD?
I started logging my IPD as soon as I started working. The IPD process is a good way to get into the habit of recording what you’ve done, what you’ve learnt from it and consider what you could have done differently. Also, the experience you gain at the very start of your career is enough to begin signing off the lower levels of IPD.
IPD involves providing evidence that you have demonstrated the required attributes to become an ICE member. How many years experience did you require in order to be able to meet all the required attributes?
Yes, with a Training Agreement you provide evidence which you feel demonstrates a certain attribute at a certain level – and if your mentor agrees then that attribute can be signed off to the agreed level. I had been working for nearly 7 years when I achieved sign off all the attributes.
Which attributes did you achieve first?
As there’s several stages to each attribute, I progressed through most attributes at a similar pace. Having said that, in my career to date I have mainly taken technical roles and so it was easier to demonstrate “Knowledge and Understanding of Engineering” and “Technical and Practical Application of Engineering” than some of the other attributes.
Which attribute did you find took the longest to achieve?
By their very nature some of the attributes require more experience and responsibility which is less available in the earliest stages of your career – including “Independent Judgement and Responsibility” and “Management and Leadership”. The final attribute I signed off was “Commercial Ability” which requires you to demonstrate judgment on commercial and contractual issues which wasn’t something that I had much exposure to early in my career.
You became a chartered engineer after nearly 8 years experience in the industry. In terms of years of experience - where does that fit on the spectrum? Do you know many chartered engineers who became chartered much sooner? Or much later?
I know engineers that have taken longer and engineers that have taken less time. I took a fairly relaxed approach and ticked off attributes as opportunities to do so arose organically. The process can certainly be sped up by chasing the relevant experience you need to demonstrate attributes and pushing for opportunities outside your regular role.
After the IPD comes the professional review. How did you prepare for the professional review?
Firstly, I made sure my report was as strong as it could be and clearly demonstrated how I had met the attributes. I made use of the various workshops and preparation sessions that the ICE offered to make sure I was familiar with the process.
I ensured I was fully comfortable with any topics I mentioned in my report and did plenty of wider reading. I also made sure I had a range of examples and ideas of how I had demonstrated the attributes throughout my career which I was able to draw on during the review.
Plenty of timed practice for the written exercise was also invaluable for the day itself.
What questions did the reviewers focus on?
The questions initially focused on the project that I discussed in my professional review report – including technical questions and questions on why I made the decisions I did; having made sure I was familiar with the topics in my report came in handy. However, the scope of the review was very wide – discussing issues affecting the wider industry as well as questions relating to how I’ve met each of the attributes in different circumstances.
What are your overall thoughts on the process? Would you recommend becoming chartered with the ICE to graduate civil engineers?
It’s a long and challenging process which can be difficult to fit in around work, but that’s partly what makes it worthwhile. The process itself can actually be very useful in helping you identify which areas of your career (attributes) you’re strong in and which are lacking. I would definitely recommend graduate civil engineers aim to become chartered with the ICE.
Note by Will W
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