Seeking a PRA For CEng Registration (Military Engineer Logistics Specialist)

Question

I am a Royal Engineer Warrant Officer and Military Engineer Logistics Specialist with a BSc and MSc in Logistics Management. Although my degrees focused on logistics, both included project management, engineering logistics and the application of supply chain principles to construction and infrastructure delivery. This gives me a strong theoretical foundation for analysing and improving engineering logistics systems that support safe, sustainable and technically assured engineering outputs. 
 My ongoing PhD research in Construction Science and Management provides further learning by examining how sustainability, training design and engineering logistics practice can be improved across the Royal Engineers, which directly supports the UK SPEC requirement for advanced theoretical understanding and continuous professional development. 
 As a Military Engineer Logistics Specialist Senior Manager, I manage Class II engineering equipment (bridges, water supply etc) and Class IV construction materials throughout their lifecycle, ensuring their assurance, movement, storage and compliance directly support the delivery of safe and effective Royal Engineer tasks. My KSEB includes applying engineering judgement in safety critical environments, resolving technical constraints during overseas construction deployments, improving procurement and material assurance and supporting asset readiness for high readiness forces. I add value by linking supply chain optimisation to engineering outcomes and by translating MOD, NATO and policy into practical engineering systems used across Royal Engineer tasks. 
 I am seeking a PRA with military engineering or engineering logistics experience to help ensure my CEng evidence aligns with UK SPEC and reflects the technical depth of Royal Engineer logistics practice.

Holly Attridge · Accepted Answer

Good morning Billy 
 If you are looking for support with your CEng application, the IET Professional Registration Engagement Team may be able to help. We work with applicants from a wide range of engineering disciplines and backgrounds. We can help you identify the most appropriate registration route and connect you with support to ensure your evidence is aligned to the UK-SPEC competences as effectively as possible. 
 May I ask whether you are intending to apply via the standard application route or through the Defence Engineer Registration Scheme (DERS) ? This will help determine the most appropriate support and we can identify individuals with relevant military engineering or engineering logistics experience who may be able to assist. 
 Please feel free to get in touch so we can explore how we can support your journey towards CEng - profreginfo@theiet.org

Dr Chips · Answer

Hello Billy 
 As one of the originators of the DERS Routes to registration I would be interested in following up on what you found restrictive or difficult withthe DRS Process (then or now). You experience would provide useful feedback which will help suggest where improvements may be made. In the meantime very best wishes for your further application for CEng. 
 Kind regards. 
 Franck (aka DrChips!)

Andy Millar · Answer

Billy Piper said: I am seeking a PRA with military engineering or engineering logistics experience to help ensure my CEng evidence aligns with UK SPEC and reflects the technical depth of Royal Engineer logistics practice. 
 Hi Billy, 
 Hopefully you'll find someone suitable - actually if you any approach any PRA through https://pra.theiet.org/search-advisor they will all be able to help, however I do agree that it can help to have one who has particular experience of working with applicants from the services as there can be specific issues - typically being because of the rank structure there is a particular art to demonstrating that you personally hold sufficient technical responsibility. And also they may have more experience of the service specific routes to registration. 
 However what I mainly wanted to comment as a start was that "reflects the technical depth of Royal Engineer logistics practice" is not the best way to look at it: your application is about you personally. You mustn't say "a Royal Engineer does this" you need to be saying "I do this". It's something almost all applicants struggle with, as engineers we're not used to thinking like that, but it is particularly an issue in the services. However this has given you a good start for a conversation with your PRA! 
 For the purposes of the application enjoy the opportunity to be proud of what you personally have achieved, and how you personally go about your work professionally. The assessors aren't auditing the Royal Engineers processes, they're trying to understand how you work as an engineer, and what level of technical responsibility you actually take (irrespective of who you happen to be working for). Not "I hold this position therefore I have this responsibility", but "I have this level of knowledge and understanding and take this level of responsibility therefore I am competent to hold this position". 
 As a hint (based on how you've written your post) which might help your first meeting with your PRA, try to think of a couple of specific cases where you've had to apply your own engineering judgement. You don't need to go into why your judgement was needed (I've never found security clearance to be an issue as we don't need to know what you were actually working on), but what you need to show is how you used a level of engineering understanding and experience to solve, or take responsibility for, a serious decision where there was no book to tell you what to do. It's much easier for a PRA to help if they have these concrete examples to work with, they can then give you the steer as to whether these are, or aren't, showing the A and B competences at the appropriate levels. 
 Oh, and final thought: do be kind to your assessors and explain the 1001 acronyms that will be in your application! Most engineers are bad at this, but applicants from the services take this to a whole extra level...that's something that you will have to watch if you have a PRA from the services helping you, they'll be able to give you the best support on everything else, but just watch that you're not both assuming the same knowledge when it comes to jargon. 
 Hope that helps, and good luck, 
 Andy

Seeking a PRA For CEng Registration (Military Engineer Logistics Specialist)

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