UK Engineers Petition Downing Street

[valleyboy]

Corus

The IStructE has an entrance examination which lasts around 8 hours, which is notoriously difficult and has a pass rate of around 35-40% annually - I think this examination is unique in the UK Engineering Industry as I believe the other institutions judge your competence via. Professional Review.

VB

 

[WGJ]

ScottyUK,
I got my Chartership when I was about 50.
1969 - ONC Engineering, age 18
1971 - HNC Engineering, 1972 - HNC Endorsements, age 21
2000 - Bachelor Engineering 2.1, age 49

Why bother with Chartership - I was working for a company that was headed for the rocks and after 25 years of pension contributions I needed to make sure I was employable in the outside world. I reckoned that, without having a big, bright flag to wave, I'd be lucky to drive a forklift, let alone design one.
And Institute memberships are expensive, for what you apparently get, but they also fall into the flag waving category, I think.

By the way - ever tried explaining to people like car insurance companies what you do for a living?

I was describing myself as 'an engineer' for several years until I found that I was being classified by my insurer as a motor mechanic and having my policy loaded as a result. They said I was in the motor trade' apparently.
I am in automotive design.

Now I describe myself as draftsman or designer, they seem to understand that one. I did try Chartered Engineer, but that 'did not compute' as they say.

"Computer says, No"

Bill

 

[KENAT]

for more on this subject look here thread730-181246

 

[ScottyUK]

Bill,

I'm currently listed as 'professional' by my insurance company, along with teachers, doctors, the legal vermin, and police officers. In the past I've also been 'draughtsman', 'electrician', and on a couple of occasions 'electrical engineer'.

I agree it is to some extent a flag-waving exercise, but as long as the big industry employers like that flag and pay a premium for me to wave it then that's fine by me. The professional fees are picked up by work - to me that seems a fair deal because I am pretty sure their insurance underwriter requires a certain number of professional engineers in the business: another example of the C.Eng flag having some value to the employers.

Congratulations on the degree too - just proves you are never too young to learn.


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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[WGJ]

Many thanks ScottyUK.

Much of what I had to do was very much similar to what I'd done for my HNC, nearly 30 years ago. There was just some of the maths that was new/more advanced.
Stuff like COSMOS stress analysis was new as well.

The problem in the UK probably isn't entirely unique, I suspect.
There are many practical, vocationally educated, highly talented technical people in industry that don't get recognition of their worth and there are many highly academic types lacking any practical experience whatsover that almost 'walk into' professional accreditation. It's a combined social/status issue.

Bill

 

[GregLocock]

Surely the problem with the UK institutions is that they are neither fish nor fowl.

If they were run by professional working engineers, they would be an organistaion interested in RESTRICTING access, MAINTAINING standards and INCREASING pay.

But, since they are largely run by academics and industry reps their primary focus is on ENCOURAGING access, REDUCING standards, and REDUCING pay.



Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[michfan]

I worked for a very well-known German company at one of their US acquisitions. We followed ISO procedures. Everyone in my department was some kind of engineer. Either your title was "Mechanical Engineer", "Engineer", "Senior Engineer", "Controls Engineer", "Applications Engineer" (never did figure out what that meant) or something similar and I was the only "Structural Engineer" even though I was an EIT.

After my first year I got a raise and a promotion to "Engineer" so that I could work on higher $$ projects. My boss was too lazy to write a new ISO position for "Senior Structural" or something similar. All those years of college getting my MSCE only to be lumped in with guys that were degreed industrial engineers, mechanical engineers, and the majority who had no degree but were ex-army. They hired a lot of them (no offense to the army, I don't mean anything negative by this, they did their job as well as anyone) I think because they thought they'd follow directions well - my boss was a micromanager and loved people who would do exactly as he commanded.

I think that was misleading to our customers - everyone they talked to was an "Engineer" of some sort, even though about half of us had degrees, only 3 or 4 were MS's, and a lot had no college whatsoever.

 

[Ussuri]

This is on the Engineering Council Website. It is interesting to note that even the governing body for UK engineers realises this is never going to happen. They suggest registering with FEANI and getting EurIng designation instead.


Why isn't the title 'engineer' protected in the UK?

The word 'engineer' has been in common use in the English language for many centuries, and is widely understood by the public to describe anyone whose work relates to engineering - particularly manufacture or maintenance. There is no likelihood that the engineering profession could obtain rights to prevent existing users using the term to describe themselves.

http://www.engc.org.uk/help_and_info/faq.aspx