Many of our members have taken the traditional route to becoming a Chartered Engineer, taking an engineering degree and/or gaining experience by working in the profession. However, there are other routes to becoming a professional engineer.
Apprenticeships have been around in Britain since the Middle Ages, when a family would enter into a contract with a master craftsman or tradesman, binding a youth for five to nine years. Sometimes this involved paying a fee. Over the centuries industry bodies and governments have introduced measures to improve the rights of apprentices and to offer support to businesses wanting to take on apprentices.
Military Service conscription in the 1900s drastically reduced the number of apprentices, but it wasn’t until 1964 that Industrial Training Boards were established, tasked with raising funds from employers to promote skills and training. However, by 1980 the reduction in construction and manufacturing in the UK caused the number of apprentices to decline further.
In spite of the introduction of the Youth Training Scheme (YTS), the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) and of Modern Apprenticeships, the number of apprenticeships reached an all-time low in 1995. However, in the 2000s a range of apprenticeships, covering all educational level, were introduced and in 2017 an Apprenticeship Levy was introduced.
Two recent graduates from the University of Brighton, Jack Pettitt and Jack Elliot, will be giving a talk that explores alternative routes towards a successful engineering career beyond traditional university routes. Their talk will highlight vocational qualifications, apprenticeships, technical diplomas, and self-directed learning options.
Attendees will discover how these different routes offer varying amounts of practical experience, industry relevance, and versatility while meeting the growing demand for skilled engineers.
The talk, entitled ‘Alternative routes to becoming a chartered engineer’ will be given at 6:30 (for refreshments) on Tuesday 9th December at Worthing College.
Go to the IET Sussex Network web site for a link to the registration page and details of how to find the venue. You will also find there a link to videos of past talks, where the recording of this talk will be uploaded.