Hi Roy,


I agree with you in principle, but the problem is: How can the EC confirm that registered engineers are achieving all this, given that at present we struggle to find the time to interview even prospective registered engineers (I've had a few complaints recently about the long wait for interviews), so we are going to really struggle to meet personally with even a sample of current registrants?


Also bearing in mind that to get away from the "old boys club" image any judgement made as to the capability (or not) of the registrant needs to be quantifiable in some way, it can't be (or be seen to be) "yes I chatted to him and he seemed like a jolly good chap"! I know that's not what you were suggesting, but without some quantification it can easily turn into it (or be perceived to).


We all seem to be pretty much in agreement that blandly "counting hours" or "counting points" can give misleading answers, so what can we do that be done without a face-to-face discussion and without putting an unacceptable extra burden on the registrant at the time they are being reviewed?


Personally, and given I have to do this sort of thing for other reasons in the day job anyway, I think a recent CV and then follow up written request for further evidence if the CV doesn't clearly show CPD itself (perhaps because of the nature of the registrants work) would be perfectly satisfactory. And the criteria here are, I would have thought, the same as competence A1 - although that is still pretty vague.


I think it's worth keeping coming back to the fact that the vast majority of engineers in the UK do not engage with professional registration, and anecdotally this seems to be because it's seen by both them and their employers as "bureaucratic" and "adding little value". As always, I believe the key is convincing employers that it adds value (and that the value outweighs the inevitable bureaucracy). Part of this surely must be that an employer knows that however long it is since a member of their staff achieved registration, that registration is still "current" and telling both them and their customers (and any legal compliance authorities) something valid. Without continuous review - even on a sampled basis - I don't see how EC and the PEIs can provide that assurance? So it's how to do that without falling foul of the "bureaucratic" hurdle?


Does anyone know what other UK professions (e.g. medicine, law, accountancy) do? (I'm sure I asked that before somewhere.)


Cheers,


Andy

Hi Roy,


I agree with you in principle, but the problem is: How can the EC confirm that registered engineers are achieving all this, given that at present we struggle to find the time to interview even prospective registered engineers (I've had a few complaints recently about the long wait for interviews), so we are going to really struggle to meet personally with even a sample of current registrants?


Also bearing in mind that to get away from the "old boys club" image any judgement made as to the capability (or not) of the registrant needs to be quantifiable in some way, it can't be (or be seen to be) "yes I chatted to him and he seemed like a jolly good chap"! I know that's not what you were suggesting, but without some quantification it can easily turn into it (or be perceived to).


We all seem to be pretty much in agreement that blandly "counting hours" or "counting points" can give misleading answers, so what can we do that be done without a face-to-face discussion and without putting an unacceptable extra burden on the registrant at the time they are being reviewed?


Personally, and given I have to do this sort of thing for other reasons in the day job anyway, I think a recent CV and then follow up written request for further evidence if the CV doesn't clearly show CPD itself (perhaps because of the nature of the registrants work) would be perfectly satisfactory. And the criteria here are, I would have thought, the same as competence A1 - although that is still pretty vague.


I think it's worth keeping coming back to the fact that the vast majority of engineers in the UK do not engage with professional registration, and anecdotally this seems to be because it's seen by both them and their employers as "bureaucratic" and "adding little value". As always, I believe the key is convincing employers that it adds value (and that the value outweighs the inevitable bureaucracy). Part of this surely must be that an employer knows that however long it is since a member of their staff achieved registration, that registration is still "current" and telling both them and their customers (and any legal compliance authorities) something valid. Without continuous review - even on a sampled basis - I don't see how EC and the PEIs can provide that assurance? So it's how to do that without falling foul of the "bureaucratic" hurdle?


Does anyone know what other UK professions (e.g. medicine, law, accountancy) do? (I'm sure I asked that before somewhere.)


Cheers,


Andy