Professional registration is a huge achievement, and we see lots of questions in the career development forum from members in various stages of the process. Some of the most frequent questions are about the process, so what does it take to see an application from start to finish? 

As a peer review process, every stage is supported by volunteers. To start, ideally a draft application will be shared with a professional registration adviser (PRA) or Industry Representative (IR). These volunteers understand the review process and can advise on how best to clearly demonstrate competence in the application. They can also help applicants prepare for interview if they need one.

Once an application is submitted, it's checked for completeness by staff, then reviewed by a panel of assessors with experience in the applicant's field. Sometimes the panel will ask for extra evidence if they need it.

Those applying for CEng or IEng will have a peer-review interview, and finally, another panel will review the application, along with the documents for the entire process, and make a decision.

Volunteers are pivotal at every stage of the application process, and a typical CEng or IEng application goes through the hands of 9-12 volunteers. Typical EngTech and ICTTech applications are handled by 4 volunteers. If an applicant's work is particularly niche or we don’t have the right volunteers, it can take a bit longer to get through the stages.

We’re looking for volunteers to support the Professional Registration process.  If you’re Professionally Registered with the IET, you can make a difference and give back to your engineering community. Find out more about Professional Registration volunteer roles, or contact Lou Parfrey  in the Registration and Standards Support Unit if you have questions about volunteering.