I endorse the last part of Alasdair's response completely - I realised after I posted my response that this was an element I'd left out - whether you're registered or not, the IET is an immensely valuable resource, and I always like to stress to people that the benefit of membership is a completely separate one to that of registration,  The more you join in, the more you will gain. It's especially true of the IET - I consider us to be lucky to be electrical engineers and so aligned with the IET rather than many of the other PEIs for all the reasons highlighted by Alasdair - there is a truly progressive ethos and a genuinely supportive approach that means it's anything but an old boys club, as could be perceived for some of the other PEIs.

I wish you the very best of luck with your developing career, but based on what I see already, I'm pretty convinced that you have the desire, the commitment and the dedication for that to occur naturally. 

Finally, I have to say that responding to this thread has been like a breath of fresh air, so much more positive and interesting than some of the jaded topics we often get involved in, and if we've helped point you in the right direction, that's immensely satisfying.

Just bear in mind that if you go IEng then CEng you can't use any of the evidence you used in your IEng application in your CEng application. This could mean it takes you longer to get CEng if you go for IEng first.

Lee, I haven't understood what you mean. You are always the sum of your achievements. Could you explain a little more please?

Roy, I'm just passing on what I was told at my IET Mentor Training course - if you go for IEng first you can't use the same evidence when you go for CEng, it must all be new.

Lee, that isn't true. I think what may have been meant is that there is a focus on the last 5 years of your experience so, at the very least, you can't just cut and paste what you submitted previously, you have to add the relevant experience, etc. since you got I.Eng.  Furthermore, it's most likely that there will be at least 5 years between your I.Eng award and going for C.Eng, in which case the evidence submitted for I.Eng would lack currency.

Well, it seemed odd to me so I asked for clarification and wrote down the reply exactly, which is what I wrote before.

Sorry, it seems I have also added to the muddle, so let me clarify what I meant in two respects:

• I didn't mean that there is a requirement or mandatory minimum of 5 years. It was more, in my attempt to understand why the trainer may have said what he/she did, that I was passing on a general view held by many that, on average, there are not many people who would do so in less. Naturally, there will always be those who impress us by doing so much sooner, and, in theory, it could be as little as weeks, but that is highly unlikely. 

• Nor am I saying that evidence based on performance more than 5 years ago is disregarded, I'm only saying that the most recent and current performance is of much greater interest as it represents who you are now. Historical evidence is great both to demonstrate how you arrived at your current position, and also to provide context - somebody who has been performing as an engineer with progressing levels and types of responsibility  for a time is bound to have been progressing steadily (or maybe rapidly in some cases) to their current point on the path, unless they've simply stagnated. But whether the interval has been 5 years or 5 months, the point is still "if you were able to secure I Eng then, but not C.Eng, then several things must have changed if you are now ready for C.Eng, so we need to know what those things are and, in agreeing with Roy that the valid question is often 'what has happened between your I.Eng award and now", that's where my point about being more interested in that period since I.Eng award than that submitted for I.Eng (and I said it might typically be no less than 5 years, but there may be exceptions), because we already know the performance prior to I.Eng was good and considered worthy of the award.

So, I think you should always include your whole history, but by now, because you have moved on and want to demonstrate why you believe you're now ready for C.Eng, then you may find it better to edit the pre-I.Eng material to a more summarised form and, whether you do or not, you need to put the bulk of your effort for your application into the post-I.Eng performance.


Thus, however you look at it, the C Eng submission is going to need to be very different to the I.Eng application - as Roy says, not because anyone is going to compare the two, or because it is prohibited, but simply to be an effective application. And I was guessing that this may be what was really meant by that trainer, though he/she may have conveyed it in stronger, more black and white terms that made it sound like a prohibition rather than guidance to say "never do it because if you do, your are bound to be unsuccessful", which, for the reasons described, is completely accurate.

Hi Ben,


I am in a very similar position to yourself. I've done an Advanced and Higher Apprenticeship with the Higher apprenticeship involving a FdEng in Electical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Hull which was accredited by the IET with the apprenticeship for EngTech which I was awarded in 2016. 

Like yourself I have done a part time BEng (Hons) in Electical and Electronic Engineering graduating this summer from the University of Hull. My BEng was accredited for chartered with further learning.

My employer doesn't really endorse professional registration and I'm glad your does as your journey will be smoother. I have been working as an Electrical Design Engineer for the last 6 years (same length of time I was at Hull Uni) and have found the best way to gain skills and experience to match the UK spec was through applications knowledge and practice in industry.  I became an EngTech Assessor last year for the IET and this is also helping me prove many competencies towards the UK spec. 

I throughly recommend you possibly get a PRA (their advice was priceless when I applied for EngTech) and if you haven't got a work based mentor request one from the IET. Their support and suggestions on how to ensure a good application is brilliant. 

I have however just started a part-time masters. I see my journey towards charted as a long route over the next 5 years to ensure a strong application with my masters (part time in power distribution engineering,  accredited for the chartered further learning and finished in the next 2 years). I aim to have IEng in the next 18 months.  I see this as a way of proving my engineering competencies further than EngTech but also allowing me to further develop on to chartered when I am ready. I don't think you should rush through the chartered application process. It may take longer than 4 years. 

I'd possibly look at each  of the different competencies you currently have for both IEng and CEng across the UK spec and evaluate where you are missing areas and look out for opportunities in you job role to demonstrate them and log them in the next year or so. That way you can clearly see your route to CEng and whether it will take 4 or more years to gain the k&u required. 

I hope this gives you another perspective from someone else ineeds a similar situation. 

Best wishes

Natasha

Excellent post, Natasha!

Though you are giving your personal experience and thoughts they are absolutely spot on. The most important aspect is probably the attitude, having a plan on how to get from where you are now to where you want to be (having a timescale attached just makes it even better). I would particularly endorse the recommendation to talk to a PRA. However I would further add that the PRAs are all volunteers and are not all-knowing, so don't assume that the PRA will understand your business without you explaining things - I say this from experience from the other side as I am a PRA and I did not really fully understand consultancy until I started working for an engineering consultancy. The explanations to the PRA will have a double benefit as they also help to refine the application and interview responses to ensure the interviewers understand how you are working, and they are the ones who have to be convinced.

One more comment for Ben.

I note that Ben (Harvey) is working for an employer who is an Industrial Partner of the IET. There are a number of benefits available that this gives including an arrangement called the Company Based Registration Scheme, where the IET come in and, after doing the initial sales pitch, they bring in PRAs to do one-to-one sessions with individual to help them towards registration through recommendations/application advice. It may be worth Ben asking internally to see if any such sessions are planned in the near future.

Also with an employer being an Industrial Partner it is probable that there is a network of Mentors within the company so asking your line manager about having a mentor assigned would be helpful, though it is worth remembering that if there are no mentors familiar with the IET processes it may be worth taking Natasha's advice and requesting a mentor from the IET either instead of or additionally to the work based mentor.

Alasdair