Picking up on a few of the helpful points made.

 

Moshe emphasises the value of having a degree, if that opportunity is available. Although The IET is able to recognise the equivalence of learning gained in the workplace or through other less formal means, for  professional registration purposes, there are other reasons why an appropriate degree offers benefits and advantages.  John Dunning & Roy Stones offered great encouragement and good practical advice .

 

There is a long tradition of project and contracts managers growing “from the tools”, but also one of training programmes with part-time higher education, in the past these typically involved an HNC, but more have recently evolved to include Foundation and Bachelors Degrees. I expect this trend to continue with moves to increase the numbers of Higher/Degree Apprenticeships. There are also a proportion of former full-time undergraduate engineering students who find project/contract/commercial management an attractive option.  It may therefore strengthen your competitive proposition in the employment marketplace to hold a similar qualification, in addition to some other more general benefits.       

 

When it comes to applying for registration keep in mind that IET assessors are looking for an engineer with management capability not vice-versa. An engineer has strong technical knowledge and understanding, without the application of this expertise, contract management could be carried out by a QS or Construction Manager. I appreciate that there is overlap and even combination, but you are seeking recognition as a professional Engineer . In your circumstances, I would expect the UK-SPEC C,D& E competences to naturally occur, although part of E is a commitment to ongoing professionalism, so it is in your heart (or not).  Focus carefully on the A&B competence areas and the examples given in UK-SPEC.  Some of the B competences (B2 for example) have a strong design emphasis and can prove tricky for those who are more project management orientated.  For IEng this shouldn’t prove a barrier, but to anyone reading this with CEng in mind, I have seen this become a “tripping point” for some able and experienced engineering managers.

 

A couple of final general observations for other readers. It is often commonly assumed that the pathway towards becoming a professional engineer involves education through an engineering degree followed by subsequent experience. However, the UK has a long tradition of apprenticeships that involve an employed trainee being supported by their employer to undertake additional part-time learning through a college and/or university. This is widely accepted as the optimum for craft trades and was also “normal” for most technicians and engineers a generation ago. Although this tradition never died, we allowed it to decline, hopefully we have now learned from that mistake. Some academic courses are not so different, but with the academic institution “leading” and offering work placements. The IET has recently campaigned with the slogan “Engineering work experience 4 all”. I think that an important role for the IET (perhaps the most important?) is in continuing to encourage and support collaboration between employers and academics.

    

The possibility of being accepted for registration before a degree has been completed arises because the IET takes into account  all relevant learning and achievement, not just that assessed against an academic syllabus. However, I should stress that IEng represents “bachelors level” and is only awarded to those who the IET assessment process has validated as working to this standard. There is always an advantage in having a good formal qualifications because they easily answer questions about basic understanding, so for example an advertisement from a leading employer for an Engineer  in yesterday’s E&T online stated  “be educated to a minimum of HNC level in an engineering discipline”.           

 

Picking up on a few of the helpful points made.

 

Moshe emphasises the value of having a degree, if that opportunity is available. Although The IET is able to recognise the equivalence of learning gained in the workplace or through other less formal means, for  professional registration purposes, there are other reasons why an appropriate degree offers benefits and advantages.  John Dunning & Roy Stones offered great encouragement and good practical advice .

 

There is a long tradition of project and contracts managers growing “from the tools”, but also one of training programmes with part-time higher education, in the past these typically involved an HNC, but more have recently evolved to include Foundation and Bachelors Degrees. I expect this trend to continue with moves to increase the numbers of Higher/Degree Apprenticeships. There are also a proportion of former full-time undergraduate engineering students who find project/contract/commercial management an attractive option.  It may therefore strengthen your competitive proposition in the employment marketplace to hold a similar qualification, in addition to some other more general benefits.       

 

When it comes to applying for registration keep in mind that IET assessors are looking for an engineer with management capability not vice-versa. An engineer has strong technical knowledge and understanding, without the application of this expertise, contract management could be carried out by a QS or Construction Manager. I appreciate that there is overlap and even combination, but you are seeking recognition as a professional Engineer . In your circumstances, I would expect the UK-SPEC C,D& E competences to naturally occur, although part of E is a commitment to ongoing professionalism, so it is in your heart (or not).  Focus carefully on the A&B competence areas and the examples given in UK-SPEC.  Some of the B competences (B2 for example) have a strong design emphasis and can prove tricky for those who are more project management orientated.  For IEng this shouldn’t prove a barrier, but to anyone reading this with CEng in mind, I have seen this become a “tripping point” for some able and experienced engineering managers.

 

A couple of final general observations for other readers. It is often commonly assumed that the pathway towards becoming a professional engineer involves education through an engineering degree followed by subsequent experience. However, the UK has a long tradition of apprenticeships that involve an employed trainee being supported by their employer to undertake additional part-time learning through a college and/or university. This is widely accepted as the optimum for craft trades and was also “normal” for most technicians and engineers a generation ago. Although this tradition never died, we allowed it to decline, hopefully we have now learned from that mistake. Some academic courses are not so different, but with the academic institution “leading” and offering work placements. The IET has recently campaigned with the slogan “Engineering work experience 4 all”. I think that an important role for the IET (perhaps the most important?) is in continuing to encourage and support collaboration between employers and academics.

    

The possibility of being accepted for registration before a degree has been completed arises because the IET takes into account  all relevant learning and achievement, not just that assessed against an academic syllabus. However, I should stress that IEng represents “bachelors level” and is only awarded to those who the IET assessment process has validated as working to this standard. There is always an advantage in having a good formal qualifications because they easily answer questions about basic understanding, so for example an advertisement from a leading employer for an Engineer  in yesterday’s E&T online stated  “be educated to a minimum of HNC level in an engineering discipline”.